Francois Debrix

Professor Francois Debrix of Virginia Tech University joins the Hayseed Scholar podcast. Francois grew up in France, attending college there with degrees in Spanish and English, and then International Law, Political Science and Diplomatic History. An exchange program through the University of Strasbourg brought Francois to the US and Purdue, where he pursued his Master's, and then PhD under the supervision of Cynthia Weber. Professor Debrix talks about his interest in ideology that led to his dissertation and first book, Re-envisioning Peacekeeping. That book in part helped land him the job at Florida International University where he worked for 13 years, at a time when his publishing only accelerated. He talks about moving to Virginia Tech thereafter, directing the ASPECT program, balancing his research with his administrative positions, and his approaches to writing and reading.