Dr Alfredo Tjiurimo Hengari holds a PhD in Political Science (International Relations) from the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where he earned an MA in Political Science (International Relations). He also holds an MA in International Studies from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Sociology from the University of Namibia.

Prior to joining SAIIA in 2012, he lectured in international relations at the University of Cape Town, South Africa in 2010. In 2011, he served as a Scholar in Residence at the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation in Uppsala, Sweden. During the 2011/2012 academic year, he taught geopolitics at Rouen Business School in France. Dr Hengari has also been a research intern at the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. From 2002 to 2003, he served as the Chef de Cabinet and Senior Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia. He has acted as a consultant to the United Nations in Burundi, the South African Development Community, and is a regular commentator on international affairs in the South African and international broadcast and print media.