St Cross College, Oxford

MA (Oxon). Registrar, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

External Website: Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

Richard Makepeace joined the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies as Registrar in 2011 after 35 years in the diplomatic service.

Having studied modern languages at Oxford, he went on after entering the Foreign Office to study Arabic at the Middle East Centre for Arabic studies (in Lebanon) and his most recent postings were as Ambassador in the Sudan, Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates and then as Consul General in Jerusalem until late 2010.

Although he has also worked on European Union and other areas of international business, his main professional focus has been the Arab and Islamic world, its politics and peacekeeping issues.