Deniz Aksoy

Deniz Aksoy is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research program examines how domestic political institutions—including electoral systems and party structures—influence the strategic choices of discontented groups regarding political violence and conflict.

Her work bridges comparative politics and conflict studies, investigating how institutional arrangements affect rebellion, protest, and terrorism. Current projects analyze the conditional effects of electoral rules on violence and the organizational dynamics of non-state armed groups.

Methodologically, her research employs game-theoretic modeling, statistical analysis of cross-national datasets, and case-based approaches to test institutional theories of political violence.