Lily Hamourtziadou

Lily Hamourtziadou – Birmingham City University

March 29, 2026

Lily Hamourtziadou is a Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University, where she brings to her role a richly varied teaching background that spans multiple educational contexts. Over the course of her career, she has taught in schools, served as an adult learning tutor, and delivered classes for adults with learning difficulties — experience that has shaped her into an exceptionally versatile and empathetic educator, deeply attuned to the diverse needs of learners across all walks of life.

Profile

Dr Lily Hamourtziadou has been a Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University since 2016 and, from 2025, Course Leader for the MA in International Relations and Security. Holding a PhD in International Relations from Keele University (2001), she has conducted pioneering work in global security as principal researcher of the NGO Iraq Body Count, a position she has held since 2005, developing a sustained focus on Middle East politics and security, whilst combining research-led teaching with curriculum development and the cultivation of national and international partnerships. 

In addition, Lily taught in schools, served as an adult learning tutor, and even taught classes for adults with learning difficulties. 

She has published four books: Body Count: The War on Terror and Civilian Deaths in Iraq (2020), The Ethics of Remote Warfare (2024), Human Costs of War (2024), and the edited volume The Role of Memory in War, Politics and Post-Conflict Reconciliation (2026). 

She is the editor of the Journal of Global Faultlines, and sits on both the Counter Terrorism Evidence-Based Review Group and the West Midlands Military Education Committee.

Among the highlights of Dr Hamourtziadou's career is her address to the House of Commons in 2015, where she spoke on education and human security at the very moment Parliament was deliberating the bombing of Syria, bringing the weight of her research directly into the heart of political decision-making. 

That same year, and again in 2016, Iraq Body Count was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a recognition of the organisation's vital contribution to documenting the human cost of conflict. 

Also in 2016, she collaborated with Every Casualty on the development of the Standards for Casualty Recording, a landmark initiative in establishing rigorous, internationally recognised protocols for tracking civilian deaths in armed conflict.

Her expertise has also taken her beyond academia into the work of major international institutions, having contributed to the UNHCR and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). Her research with Iraq Body Count has reached the highest levels of government, featuring in Home Office reports and forming part of the Iraq Inquiry, widely known as the Chilcot Report. 

More recently, in 2024, she was invited to speak at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia, where she addressed the importance of Necrometrics, the systematic collection of data about civilian deaths and human remains in armed conflicts, underscoring her standing as a leading international voice on the ethics and practice of casualty recording.

Teaching Philosophy

How would you describe your overarching philosophy or approach to teaching?
Through International Relations, I want my students to achieve, to understand, to be inspired and to bring change. I also want them to have fun! 

It is very important to them and to me that they do their best, that they understand what is expected of them, that they achieve good grades and a great qualification, that they learn skills and gain knowledge, and that they enjoy all of that! 

I respect and value my students, and I hope to get them to a place where they respect and value themselves, where they are confident and hopeful, and where they believe that they can (in their own way) change their world for the better. I want them to know that their voice, their ideas and their knowledge are all valuable and should be shared with the world, which is why I mentor them in publishing their work. I have so far helped over 50 students publish their research. It is a great confidence boost for them, and it has helped them secure jobs after graduation.

Creating a professional profile is also very important, so I make sure to teach them good ways to present themselves on online professional sites and in conferences. I see this as part of my teaching: to create opportunities for them to hone their professional skills.

What motivates you most about teaching in today’s global context?
My own knowledge and understanding of the human cost of armed conflicts, wars, invasions and genocides. It is human suffering that has driven my work as a casualty recorder and as an educator. A sense of injustice coupled with a sense of empathy has not only driven my teaching in areas of war, war crimes, genocide, human rights violations, imperialism, terrorism and human security; it has also helped me transmit to my students a sense of urgency in tackling those global and national issues, hopefully more successfully than my generation has.

How do you introduce students to the complexity of your field without overwhelming them?
It is easy to overwhelm and to horrify students when talking about wars and their impacts on unarmed populations, so I try, as much as possible, to introduce them through exercises. I set them tasks such as 'Create a casualty recording project', and I play crisis games with them.

In what ways do you encourage critical thinking and intellectual independence in your classroom?
Through debates, negotiations, and the assessment of the UK counter-terrorism strategy, which is particularly relevant to the terrorism and irregular warfare modules I teach within the context of the War on Terror, I engage students with some of the most pressing issues in contemporary security. It is very important to me that each student’s voice is heard in the classroom and that each student evaluates government policies. In written assignments, I encourage the application of theory to case studies in order to promote critical thinking.

Outside the classroom, I take my students on trips (RAF Cosford, war memorials and museums) where we reflect on what it is we are encouraged to remember, or to accept as knowledge, and what is left out (what we should not know, or forget). Students understand a lot about how their own national identity has been shaped.

How do you balance disciplinary structure with openness to new perspectives and contested ideas in IR?
I am not so interested in balancing. I am interested in my students becoming critical citizens who challenge, who are able to solve problems, and who are engaged in creating their world beyond the classroom. For that, they have to be open to new perspectives, while we, their (older) educators, need to be open to their new perspectives, concerns and dreams for their future. 

Thematic Teaching Reflections

I primarily teach final year undergraduates, as well as postgraduate students. I teach in the following areas:

International Relations Theory
This is the module students most fear, due to the word 'theory' in the title. The way I make it more fun and less threatening is by teaching theories through crisis games, which makes students learn the core principles of theories without realising it. At the end of the crisis game, when they realise that they 'got' the theory, they are delighted. They always thank me for making it seem easy.

International Security (particularly the Middle East)
I use my own work as a casualty recorder, war monitor and human security mentor. 21st century wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine provide excellent case studies in understanding the role of global powers, the importance of interests, the ways power works, imperialism and hegemony, and the inefficiency of International Humanitarian Law, when it comes to justice in the context of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Global Governance and International Organisations (particularly NATO, the UN, the ICC and the ICRC)
I teach a module called 'International Relations of the Middle East: Implications for Regional and Global Security', where the assessment is a live, in-person Crisis Response as expert advisors for an international organisation. While preparing for the assessment, they need to learn about the organisation they are advising and learn how to provide expert knowledge and opinion within that framework. The module is part of an MA in IR I created, which has mostly authentic assessments, such as crisis response, diplomatic negotiation, presentation, debate and policy papers.

Research Methods
I start with my own research (from my PhD, to my casualty recording work, and to my books) to give them examples and to inspire them. I also use missing persons forms, or mortuary unidentified human remains forms, to train them in collecting and processing data.

Pedagogical Practice Reflections

Classroom Practices
Seminar debates, crisis games and negotiations help my students (a) understand the complexity of IR, (b) apply and test theories, (c) reflect on their learning, and (d) engage with the concept of power.

Decolonising the IR Curriculum
My Global South perspective comes from exposing my students to the practices and the impact of imperialism, both in historical cases (for example, Macedonian Empire, Byzantine Empire, British Empire, Ottoman Empire), in 20th century Western imperialism, and the more recent 21st century War on Terror. Through role play, I give each student a marginalised voice. It is an exercise that has frequently made students quite emotional and has increased their empathy.

Regional Perspectives on Teaching
Birmingham City University is in Birmingham, a wonderful, large city in the heart of England, approximately one third of whose population is Muslim. In some classes, most of my students are BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic), while in others they are mostly international. This affects both what I teach and the way I teach it. It is important that each student is able to identify with and relate to the content of each module, which means that the content is (a) relevant to the needs and concerns of particular communities, (b) international and (c) decolonised.

I teach in ways that not only include all students, but also respect and value their diversity, down to their particular accent! Whether we study topics such as suspect communities, post-colonial IR, state terrorism, counterterrorism, human rights, or human security, each student is invited to share their perspective, because they have a right to their perspective, they have a right to share their experience, to tell their story, and, finally, they have a right to their future as a global citizen. 

Classroom Example

The most recent memorable session was a Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) exercise my MA IR and Security students conducted in class. In two groups, they handled and processed human remains and effects found with them, filled in DVI forms and made sure everything was collected and bagged securely. 

The session provided practical skills in:

• Collecting and documenting human remains from a crime/disaster scene

• Understanding forensic protocols and the chain of custody

• Preparing detailed crime and identification reports

• Analysing evidence with precision

The workshop strengthened understanding of how international security frameworks assess, verify, and document evidence in complex emergency and conflict-related scenarios. This experience highlighted how forensics, international law, and security cooperation intersect in real-world investigations. DVI operations frequently unfold in complex transnational environments, where victims, responders, and legal authorities may represent multiple states. 

Several dimensions underscore the relevance of DVI to International Relations:

• Cross border information sharing

• Alignment of legal and procedural frameworks

• Cooperation between national authorities, international organisations, and specialised agencies

• Cultural and religious considerations, which require respect for diverse practices

During the session, the students understood how technical expertise and humanitarian principles intersect with state responsibility and global governance.

The students enjoyed playing with the dolls too, after the class was over!

Fostering an Inclusive and Courageous Classroom

I have at least one self-reflection and well-being session, where each student picks a card (out of 30 that I created) and relates it to their own experience, identity or challenges. I find that such sessions bring the students closer, they help them develop empathy and understanding for each other, relax them, empower them, and give them a sense of belonging. 

The cards, which I have created myself, say things like: 'Find the balance', 'Your experience and you matter', 'Accept your imperfections', 'What makes you authentic?', 'Appreciate the small things that life has to offer', 'Be true to who you are', 'Pause and reflect', 'Never stop dreaming' etc.

Linking Themes to Practice

Which themes or topics do you most often teach within International Relations, and why do they matter in your teaching?
As my classes are very diverse, I make sure that in every module there is something on human rights and human security (personal, economic, political, community, health, food, information and environmental security), so each student can relate and identify ways they are affected through societal, state and global practices.

How do these themes shape your course design, selection of readings, and teaching methods?
The reading list draws on my own writings and research, alongside articles published by former students. Assessments are authentic, and at least one session per module is student-led.

What practices or experiences (e.g. attending academic conferences, study trips, practitioner dialogue, institutional partnerships) help you stay current in the field?

• Attending and organising academic conferences, to which I invite students

• Writing books

• Exploring new teaching methods

• Attending Counter Terrorism meetings

• Participating in NATO conferences and workshops

• Getting involved in international projects, as a researcher, as an advisor, or as a mentor

Message to Current and Future Educators

Don't be afraid to experiment in class: be creative and open.

Don't tolerate your sessions: enjoy them. Joy is infectious.

Inspire your students with your enthusiasm and your gumption. They will become demotivated, if they see you bored, indifferent, or detached. Through IR you can teach humanity and determination. 

Respect and value each student, be sensitive to their experiences, be patient and remember that you can also learn from them. They are the future.

*** Authors may update their Teach IR interviews to reflect new insights gained from experience, with this interview last updated on March 29, 2026.