Monica Toft

Monica Duffy Toft is the Academic Dean, Professor of International Politics, and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. She holds a PhD and MA from the University of Chicago (Political Science) and a BA from UC Santa Barbara (Political Science and Slavic Languages). Prior to academia, she served as a Russian linguist in the US Army. Her research focuses on international security, civil wars, demography, and religion’s role in global politics.

Education highlights include degrees from the University of Chicago (PhD, 1998; MA, 1992), UC Santa Barbara (BA, 1990), and an AA from the University of Maryland in Germany (1987). Professional affiliations include the Blavatnik School of Government (Oxford), Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Her notable works include Securing the Peace, Political Demography, and God’s Century. Key awards include the Carnegie Scholar distinction (2008) and Fulbright Scholarship (2012). Recent projects involve analyzing US military interventions and the intersection of religion, conflict, and demography.

Teaching includes courses on international security, climate change, and demography. Grants include funding from the Charles Koch Foundation and NATO for projects on US grand strategy and military interventions.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Center for Strategic Studies at Fletcher, leading research on global security challenges. Collaborates with institutions like PRIO and the Stanton Foundation on nuclear security and peace processes.