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hosted by Professor Renaud Dehousse


Stéphanie Balme is the Director of CERI, Research Director at Sciences Po, Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), and the Academic Freedom Officer of the institution.

An internationally renowned specialist in the political and judicial systems of post-Mao China and Sino-European relations, Balme has a career characterized by extensive international experience, having worked on three continents and lived in China for thirteen years.

Balme holds a PhD in Political Science and an HDR ("habilitation to supervise research" — a post-PhD qualification in the French academic system) in Law.

She has held various research and teaching positions at esteemed institutions such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Tsinghua University in Beijing. Additionally, she has served as a visiting professor at UQAM (Montreal), Ashoka University (New Delhi), UBC (Vancouver), and Columbia University Law School (New York). Balme has also acted as a consultant for several international and European organizations. In 2017, she expanded her field of expertise to include science diplomacy, during an assignment as a diplomat in Beijing/China, with the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

From 2018 to 2023, Balme was the Dean of Sciences Po's Undergraduate College, where she was dedicated to pedagogical innovation, fostering the integration of humanities and hard sciences, and strengthening the internationalization of the curriculum and the links between research and teaching. Since 2012, she has been a professor at the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po (PSIA), and serves on the scientific councils of IHEDN, IRSEM, and ISUHF (Stockholm). Currently, she is finalizing a report on reimagining the defense of academic freedom.

In 2023, Balme was appointed as an associate researcher at the International Science Council (ISC) and, in 2024, became a member of the European Science Diplomacy steering committee.