Dr Richard Hargy

Overview

Dr Richard Hargy is a Lecturer in Politics and International Studies at Ulster University. His research and publications focus on the Northern Ireland peace process, diplomacy, and United States (U.S.) foreign policy.

Prior to joining Ulster University in June 2026, Dr Hargy was a Junior Research Fellow in the Northern Ireland Peace Process at Pembroke College, University of Oxford, where he worked on the Quill Project’s Writing Peace initiative. During this appointment, he conducted archival research on United States government intervention in the Northern Ireland peace process and contributed to the development of educational resources on peace negotiations.

From 2023 to 2026, Dr Hargy was a Visiting Scholar at Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for the Study of Ethnic Conflict, where his research explored the virtues and challenges of state-led third-party diplomacy in conflict and post-conflict societies. In 2022, he worked as a Research Assistant to Professor Melani Cammett of Harvard University on research examining how communities reconstruct social relations following violent conflict, conducting interviews and archival research in Northern Ireland.

Dr Hargy holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, awarded in 2023. He also holds an MA in Violence, Terrorism and Security from Queen’s University Belfast, a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary History Education and a BA (Hons) in Modern and Contemporary History from Ulster University.

His first book, U.S. Diplomacy and the Good Friday Agreement in Post-Conflict Northern Ireland, was published by Manchester University Press in 2025. Dr Hargy’s research has also been published in journals including Irish Political Studies, the Irish Journal of American Studies and the Journal of Transatlantic Studies.

Dr Hargy serves as Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Association of Ireland’s Peace and Conflict Specialist Group and as Chair of the Irish Association of American Studies’ Early Career Researcher Caucus. He is also an active member of the International Studies Association’s Peace Studies Section and serves on its Kenneth Boulding Award Committee.

Dr Hargy also contributes to public discussion of international politics and U.S. foreign policy. He has written extensively for The Conversation on U.S. politics and international affairs.