Nicholas Lyall is a Political Affairs Specialist at TRENDS Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi. Nicholas’ experience traverses policy, research and business landscapes in Australia, China, and the Middle East, with this background spanning think tanks, public sector entities, political risk advisories, development consultancies, entrepreneurship support organizations, and academic institutions. Before moving to the UAE, Nicholas spent 6 years working in Amman, Jordan where his work examined topics including Middle East geopolitics and conflict systems as well as China in the Middle East for a variety of Middle Eastern, British and Chinese organisations. Immediately prior to starting at TRENDS, Nicholas consulted for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office from Amman and in Baghdad. Before relocating to Jordan, Nicholas worked as an international security researcher at the Australian National University.

Nicholas completed his master’s degree as a Yenching Scholar at the Yenching Academy at Peking University, where he looked at China’s role in international politics and development as well as Chinese domestic politics and political economy. Nicholas has published multiple journal articles in journals like the Middle East Journal, in addition to Middle East as well as China-focussed geopolitical analysis for the Middle East Institute, The Diplomat, Operations and Policy Center, The Conversation, The National Interest, East Asia Forum, and more.