International Relations scholar and the University of Canterbury Professor Jacob Bercovitch passed away on June 10, losing his battle to cancer.
He is survived by his wife Gillian Wess-Bercovitch and two children.
A native of Romania, he lived in the UK and Israel, before moving to New Zealand to join the University of Canterbury in 1983. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2005.
A PhD from the London School of Economics, he was regarded an expert in International Relations and is the author of 17 books on Mediation and International Conflict Resolution and the Theory and Practice of International Mediation. His research papers have been published in major journals throughout the world.
An authority on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Dr Bercovitch was involved with many international research organisations, including the International Studies Association (Head), the Harvard University Programme on Negotiation, University of Haifa, Israel, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Visiting Professor), and the US Institute of Peace (Fellow).
He participated in conflict resolution assignments in many countries, including Africa, Fiji, Singapore, and Russia.