Francois is a doctoral candidate in Politics at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, specializing in elite politics, conflict, humanitarian crises, and the politics of food (in)security and climate change, with a specific focus on the central and eastern Africa regions.
François has extensive experience in Africa, with a background in both diplomatic and humanitarian sectors. He has served as a consultant for organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, the International Crisis Group, the World Food Programme of the United Nations, and the Global Network Against Food Crises. François actively contributed to the 2023 Hunger Hotspots report of the United Nations and participated in the 2023 joint FAO/WFP updates presented to the United Nations Security Council on food security in countries with conflict situations.
His doctoral research focuses on the post-liberation order in South Sudan, and the attempt by Equatorian elites to achieve a sense of collective agency in a political landscape dominated by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
François holds a BSc in Political Science (UCLouvain, Belgium), a Bachelor of Laws (UCLouvain, Belgium), a MPhil in International Relations (UCLouvain, Belgium) and a MSc in African Studies with distinction from the University of Oxford, where he also received the African Studies Centre Prize for excellent dissertation.
