Professor Alan Tidwell is director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Prior to joining Georgetown University he was a program officer with the United States Institute of Peace, where he specialised in conflict resolution and capacity building in Southeast Asia. His work focused particularly on the peace processes in Mindanao and Aceh.  Tidwell collaborated with scholars from these conflict-affected regions to develop conflict resolution curriculum and programs.

In 1992 Tidwell, a Washington, D.C. native, moved to Sydney, Australia where he was a lecturer in the Centre for Conflict Resolution at Macquarie University.  Later, he moved to Sydney University where he became the research director of the Australian Centre for American Studies.

At Sydney University Tidwell focused on enhancing the Australian-American relationship through research and public education. He returned to Macquarie University as a senior lecturer at the Graduate School of Management, specialising in conflict resolution and negotiation. He holds a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent, a Masters degree in professional ethics from the University of New South Wales, and a Masters degree in conflict management from George Mason University.