Stéphanie Balme is Adjunct Professor at SAIS Europe
Research Professor, Sciences Po Paris
Director the Center for International Studies/CERI (CNRS)

Stéphanie Balme is a Research Professor at Sciences Po Paris and the elected Director of its Center for International Studies/CERI (CNRS). She also holds a professorship at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) and heads CERI publishing editions. Additionally, she was appointed as the first academic freedom officer at Sciences Po in 2023.

A China expert, Stéphanie also holds a Habilitation in Law and a PhD in Political Science. From 2018 to 2023, she served as the Dean of the Sciences Po Undergraduate College, where she was instrumental in developing the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences program. This innovative initiative integrates dual training in the humanities and sciences. As a founding member of the European Science Diplomacy Initiative (ESDI), she has played a pivotal role in launching the curriculum on science diplomacy at Sciences Po.

Her research and teaching focus on several key areas, including Science & Tech Diplomacy, Global China: domestic politics and foreign affairs, and the dynamics of relations among the EU, US, and PRC.

Stéphanie serves on several scientific and strategic councils, including Spring Nature’s European Research Advisory Council (ERAC), IDDRI (Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations), IHEDN (Institute for Advanced Studies in National Defense), and EURICS (European Institute of China Studies). She is also the vice president and co-founder of the EU-China Law Studies Association (ECLS). In addition to her academic roles, Stéphanie has a rich background in diplomacy, having worked as a scientific attaché at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing.

Her international academic experience includes the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) for three years and Tsinghua University’s Law School for seven years. She also taught at Ashoka University in New Delhi, UQAM in Montreal, UBC in Vancouver, and was a Visiting Professor at Columbia University during the 2014-2015 academic year. Stéphanie directed the “Law, Justice and Society in China” research program and was a research associate at the IHEJ (Institute for Advanced Studies on Justice). Her early career included roles as the China delegate for Médecins du Monde and overseeing the office of the Foundation for Continental Law's Civil Law Initiative in Beijing. Stéphanie has authored nine books and more than 40 academic papers. In September 2025, she will release an extensive report on the state of academic freedom in the world, in Europe, and in France, proposing more than 60 recommendations for actions.