People

Jonathan Topaz

AFFILIATION
International Relations Network
College
Wolfson College
Course
DPhil International Relations
supervisor

I am an DPhil candidate in International Relations (2024-) at DPIR and Wolfson College. Prior to this, I completed my MPhil in IR at St Antony's College Oxford, and a BA in History at Hertford College, Oxford. I have previously interned at the Central Bank of Luxembourg, London-based venture capital fund Dawn Capital, international tech and media leader Minute Media, and Luxembourg-based private equity firm Cube Infrastructure Managers. I am broadly interested in strategy, foreign policy, and the interaction between technology, infrastructure, and geopolitics.

My current research focus is on the geopolitics of natural resources, particularly energy and infrastructure. My MPhil thesis weighed the causes behind the 2022 Lebanon-Israel Maritime Boundary Agreement, examining the interaction between economic and security considerations and how these are analysed and balanced by policymakers.

Research interests

  • Energy politics

  • Resource disputes

  • Interstate bargaining and disputes

  • Rational choice

  • Regional cooperation

  • Strategic interactions

  • Eastern Mediterranean

Extra-curriculars

  • Treasurer @ Oxford International Relations Society

  • Senior Analyst @ London Politica

  • Senior Consultant @ Oxford Strategy Group