Member Details

Professor Hayward is a Professor of Strategic Studies and one of the world’s leading scholars in strategy, defence studies, and international security. He has been recognised among The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions of The Muslim 500, and is the recipient of the 2021 Sharjah International Book Award for Best International Non-Fiction Book, as well as the Middle East Education Leadership Award for Best Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences (2016).

He is the author of eighteen books and numerous peer-reviewed publications, with his scholarship translated into more than a dozen languages. His distinguished academic and leadership career includes serving as Chief Executive of Cambridge Muslim College (UK), Professor of Strategic Thought at Rabdan Academy (Abu Dhabi), Full Professor and senior academic leader at the UAE National Defence College, and Professor and academic leader at Khalifa University. He has also held senior roles at King’s College London, the Royal Air Force College, the Indonesian Defence University (as Visiting Professor), and Massey University.

Professor Hayward holds a PhD and a Master of Arts (First-Class Honours) from the University of Canterbury and is widely recognised for his contributions to strategic education, defence policy, and civil–military scholarship.