Armen Gakavian brings to MCSI a background of teaching on leadership, sociology, principles of social change and theological perspectives on social justice.  Armen received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 1998, specialising in the democratic movement in Armenia and Armenian diasporan ethnicity. He was the founding convenor of the Armenian Genocide Research Unit of the Centre for Comparative Genocide Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney. He has taught East European Nationalism, International Relations and Social Change, and conducted research into public finance and higher education policy.

Armen is a member of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Sydney University, and a partner with Newtown Mission and TEAR Australia. He was coordinator of the Macquarie University branch of the Jubilee 2000 Campaign for Third World Debt Relief. Until 2001 he was on staff with the Navigators, a network of tertiary students concerned with justice and Christian faith.

In August 2001 Armen moved to Armenia where his purpose is to develop leaders and facilitate social change research and practice. There he has taught leadership, sociology, principles of social change and theological perspectives on social justice. He works with students of the Center for Leadership Development, Yerevan, to help them develop and implement community projects.

Armen is founding coordinator of the Student Internship Program of Mission Armenia, NGO, and co-founder of Mission Armenia Ltd, the NGO's Australian branch. He is the founding director of the Social Change Research Project of the Yerevan Academy International Association of Humanities Scholars. Armen is on the staff team of the Christian Students' Union of Armenia and in this capacity works to develop the personal character and faith of Armenian students and graduates.

Armen's research interests are leadership, social change and justice, social movements, genocide studies, theology, and national culture and religion. He enjoys reading, writing, travelling, going for walks and spending time with friends.

Armen lectures in the following subjects:

MCSI 203/303 Seeking the Good Society: Conversations about Justice, Freedom and Order

MCSI 208/308 Building a Better World: Biblical Perspectives on Justice and Social Change