Roland Paris

Roland Paris is Professor of International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, Associate Fellow of Chatham House, and former Senior Advisor on Global Affairs and Defence to the Prime Minister of Canada. His career spans academic research and teaching, public policy, and government service. 

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His research on international security, peacebuilding, and the evolution of international order has appeared in leading scholarly journals, including International Organization and International Security, and has received numerous distinctions, among them the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He has also received four awards for excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching.

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​He has taken several academic leaves to serve in the Canadian government, including appointments in the Prime Minister's Office, foreign ministry, and cabinet office. He has advised governments and international organizations and was a member of an expert group convened by the Secretary General of NATO. His public service has been recognized with four awards, most recently the King Charles III Coronation Medal, presented by Canada's Minister of National Defence in 2025.​

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Outside government, he was Director of Research at the Conference Board of Canada, the country's largest think tank. At the University of Ottawa, he has served as founding director of the Centre for International Policy Studies and director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He has held several visiting appointments, including at Sciences Po in Paris and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

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Beyond his professional pursuits, he is an avid wilderness canoeist, amateur mapmaker, and volunteer with his regional search-and-rescue organization.