Alaa Elhadidi, is a former Egyptian diplomat and former ambassador to Turkey, Russia and Romania and is currently a professor of practice of international relations at The School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) at The American University in Cairo (AUC).

He has an extensive background of over 30 years in foreign policy research and writing. From 2006 to 2007, he served as spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2007 to 2010, he was the Egyptian ambassador to Turkey. Then, from 2010 to 2012, he was Egypt’s ambassador to Russia, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. And from 2012 to 2013, he was the spokesperson for the Egyptian prime minister.

Elhadidi was the director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies in Cairo. Afterwards, he was appointed to be Egypt’s ambassador to Romania. In addition, he has notably held diplomatic assignments in different Egyptian cabinets of foreign ministers and Egypt’s embassies in the US and Jordan. 

Elhadidi got his bachelor's degree in political science from AUC and his PhD in political science from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He was a fellow at the Centre for International Studies at Harvard University.