Niklas Hultin is an Assistant Professor of Global Affairs. He has advanced degrees in both anthropology and law. Prior to joining Mason, he held positions at the University of Virginia, University of Cambridge, American University's School of International Service, and Swarthmore College. At these institutions, he taught the anthropology of international development, legal and political anthropology, research methods, human rights, and African studies.

With a regional focus on West Africa, Hultin's research interests addresses two overarching (and often overlapping) themes: the politics of human rights and humanitarianism, on one hand, and understandings of technology and information practices, on the other hand. Specific topics that he has researched include freedom of expression, civic education, policing, banking, and transnational human rights organisations  He recently concluded a large study of small arms control and crime prevention in West Africa, supported by the National Science Foundation and the Isaac Newton Trust at the University of Cambridge.

In addition to his research and teaching, Hultin is actively involved with several Gambian civil society organisations. He is also one of the founding editors of the African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review.

At the Academy, he took part in the workshop "Waiting in Africa" of the postdoc working group "Waiting for Futures".