Photo by Dallin Van Leuven
I am an Assistant Professor of Politics at Drexel University. My broad research agenda reflects my interests in political violence, conflict processes, contemporary U.S. foreign policy, and the politics of sports. Prior to completing my doctoral studies, I worked in the national security and intelligence communities for over a decade.
Articles
Holmes, Carolyn E., Michelle Jurkovich, Meg K. Guliford, and Mary Anne S. Mendoza-Davé. “Description as Art and (Social) Science,” International Politics (forthcoming September 2026)
Guliford, Meg K., Travis Curtice, and Bailee Donahue. "Public Perceptions of Wartime Atrocities: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment." Political Research Quarterly 78, no. 3 (2025): 895-912.
Holmes, Carolyn E., Meg K. Guliford, Mary Anne S. Mendoza-Davé, and Michelle Jurkovich. "A Case for Description." PS: Political Science & Politics 57, no. 1 (2024): 51-56.
Book Chapters
Meg K. Guliford, Meena Bose, and Daniel W. Drezner. 2022. “Why Do Titles Matter and Why? A Guide for Graduate Students in Political Science.” Navigating Graduate School and Beyond.
Under Review/ Submitted
"When Allies Commit Human Rights Abuses: Moral Hypocrisy and Presidential Reputation" (with Travis Curtice)
“Shaping Violence: How Ideology and Capability Influence Rebel Patterns of Violence” (Under Review)
“Explaining Civil War Non-Recurrence: An El Salvador Case Study” (Under Review)
Book Projects
Descriptive Research in Political Science with Carolyn Holmes, Michelle Jurkovich, and Mary Anne Mendoza-Davé (Edited volume under contract with Cornell University Press)
Blood In Their Streets: Explaining the Effects of United States External Support on Civilian Victimization by the State (Solo authored book project)
Research in Progress
“(Re)Conceptualizing Military Intervention”
Descriptive Research in Political Science with Carolyn Holmes, Michelle Jurkovich, and Mary Anne Mendoza-Davé (Edited volume under contract with Cornell University Press)
Blood In Their Streets: Explaining the Effects of United States External Support on Civilian Victimization by the State (Solo authored book project)
Muhammad Ali’s Evolving Politics: From Rome to Atlanta (research in progress)
“We Still Can’t Do It All,” Inkstick Media, April 27, 2021
“What Lloyd Austin’s Nomination Really Reveals,” Inkstick Media, December 23, 2020
“We Are Not Okay and You Shouldn’t Be Either,” Duck of Minerva, May 31, 2020
“Even Progressive Academics Can Be Racist…I’ve Experienced It Firsthand,” The Washington Post, September 11, 2018
“Looking For A Gender Gap In The Army? Try The Army Chief Of Staff’s Reading List” with Erik J. Leklem. Task and Purpose, August 30, 2017
Panelist, “Power at the Pentagon: Considering Civil-Military Relations and Representation,” NYU School of Professional Studies, January 13, 2021
Panelist, “Careers in Foreign Policy and National Security,” Perry World House, October 2020
Panel Moderator, “Great Power Competition in the 21st Century,” Future Strategy Forum, Center for Strategic and International Security, Washington, DC, April 2, 2019
Featured Guest, “All Eyes on U.S.: How America Should Walk Its Talk,” What in the World podcast, August 20, 2020
Guest Co-Host, “The Bluest Eye,” Bombshell- War on the Rocks podcast, August 13, 2019
Political Science Seminar, University of Mississippi, March 26, 2021
CISAC Seminar, Stanford University, February 24, 2021
Political Violence and Security Cluster Workshop, American University School of International Service, November 2020
Featured Speaker, International Affairs Forum, United States Military Academy, October 2020
Panelist, “Rethinking How We Teach International Relations,” Bridging the Gap, July 2020
Panelist, Election 2020 Student Q&A, Drexel University, November 4, 2020
Featured Speaker, “Teaching for Knowledge,” The Monktoberfest, October 3, 2019
“Problems Abroad? Revisiting the Intervention Trap in an Era of Global Uncertainty,” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal and Norm Patterson School of International Affairs Workshop, October 2016
PSCI 150 International Politics, Drexel University
PSCI 250 United States Foreign Policy, Drexel University
PSCI 310 Civilians in Armed Conflict, Drexel University
PSCI 374 Politics of Sports, Drexel University
PS 188 The Causes and Consequences of Military Intervention, Tufts University
Civil Wars: Theory and Policy (Graduate Course) Professor Monica Toft, Tufts University, Fall 2017 and Fall 2018
The Use of Force in International Politics,” (Undergraduate Course) Professor Jeffrey Taliaferro, Tufts University, Summer 2017 and Summer 2018
Demography and National Security (Graduate Module) Professor Monica Toft, Tufts University, Spring 2018
Topics in International Relations and Security Policy,” (Graduate Module) Professor Monica Toft, Tufts University, Spring 2017 and 2018
Introduction to International Relations (Undergraduate Course) Professor Richard Eichenberg, Tufts University, Fall 2017
Introduction to International Relations (Undergraduate Course) Professor Michael Beckley, Tufts University, Spring 2017
Introduction to International Relations (Undergraduate Course) Professor Kelly Greenhill, Tufts University, Fall 2016
Civil-Military Relations (Graduate Course) Professor Antonia H. Chayes, Tufts University, Fall 2015
Full evaluations available upon request
Engagement
Meg is a gifted leader of class discussions... Somehow most of the class is spent by students talking candidly about the readings or discussion topic, yet I always leave class feeling like I understand exactly what information Meg wanted us to cover in the class. I seriously don’t know how she does it—it’s like a Jedi mind trick! (Spring 2018)
Meg did an excellent job of leading discussion and really making us think about and understand the concepts we were grappling with. (Spring 2018)
She really fostered great discussion and was not afraid to challenge students on their ideas and make us think critically about what we were saying. (Spring 2018)
My TA – Meg – challenged us to think critically and choose our words carefully. Discussions were extensive and were incredibly provocative. (Fall 2017)
Enrichment
The way she ran this course has changed how I deal with all of my other classes. I critically analyze readings much more intensively and reach more comprehensive and deeper understandings of crucial themes. (Spring 2018)
I really appreciated that Meg designed the class syllabus to include many female scholars. (Spring 2018)
I now have a much greater understanding of the importance of definitions to the social sciences! (Spring 2018)
In recitation, Meg was great at pushing students to participate and engage with the subject matter, clarifying students' questions, and driving home the important information. (Spring 2017)
Encouragement
Though she is a tough cookie and won’t take any bullshit (this is a good thing), Meg can be really understanding and accommodating when the circumstances require it. (Spring 2018)
She pushed me to improve both my writing skills and oral presentation skills. She was a fair and timely grader and always offered solid feedback on my work. (Spring 2018)
Meg was an incredibly helpful TA who dedicated a huge amount of time to helping students and thoughtfully explaining difficult concepts. (Spring 2017)
Meg Guliford as a TA is amazing and truly wants her students to succeed in this class. (Spring 2017)
Meg K. Guliford is an Assistant Professor in Drexel University's Department of Politics. Prior to coming to Drexel, she served as a Vice-Provost for Research Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania where she was in residence at Perry World House.
Guliford’s broad research agenda reflects her interests in political violence, conflict processes, contemporary U.S. foreign policy, and the politics of sports. Her current research, including her first book manuscript, seeks to identify the effects of United States external support to client states on that state’s civilian victimizations during a civil war.
Guliford’s research has been funded by the United States Institute of Peace, the Eisenhower Institute, and the John Anson Kittredge Fund.During her doctoral studies, she was named a Minerva Peace and Security Scholar and an Eisenhower-Roberts Fellow. She was also the recipient of the 2021 Sidney D. Drell Academic Award from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. Guliford, along with three co-Principal Investigators, leads the APSA-funded Descriptive Research Workshop, which highlights this research as a method and a tool of social scientific inquiry.
Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, she worked as a Research Staff Member in the Institute for Defense Analyses’ Intelligence Analyses Division and for the Office of the Secretary of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. In 2009-2010, Guliford completed a deployment to Iraq to work issues related to improvised explosive devices. Her career in the federal government began as a Presidential Management Fellow for Headquarters, United States Marine Corps.
Guliford is a VERY PROUD KANSAN and is in the fourth generation of her family to be born and raised in Central Kansas. She holds B.A.s in Political Science and Communications from the University of Pennsylvania, an MPP from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a PhD from Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Aside from her professional pursuits, she enjoys live music, meandering about the city of Philadelphia, reading, and being the best auntie possible to her niblings.
mg3828@drexel.edu