Jesse Driscoll

Jesse Driscoll is a Professor of Political Science at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California at San Diego. He specializes in comparative state-building dynamics, with regional focus on Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Russian-speaking world. His academic leadership includes serving as Academic Chair of the Global Leadership Institute since 2014.

• Education
  • Ph.D., Political Science, Stanford University (2009)
  • M.A., Security Studies, Georgetown University (2001)
  • B.S., Foreign Service, Georgetown University (2001)

Driscoll’s research centers on state emergence from post-Soviet chaos, conflict resolution, and methodological innovations in global fieldwork. His award-winning book Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States (Cambridge, 2015) examines hierarchical formation in Georgia and Tajikistan, while Doing Global Fieldwork (Columbia, 2021) provides a practitioner’s guide for mixed-methods research.

He has supervised 12 Ph.D. students across political science and economics, including emerging scholars like Adam Fefer (University of Michigan) and Kevin Rossillon (U.S. Air Force). His contributions to journals include analyses of ethnic stacking, poverty’s impact on pandemic compliance, and social media’s role in Russian irredentism.

• Scientific Awards
  • Central Eurasian Studies Society Book Award
  • Furniss Award (for state-building scholarship)

Driscoll co-hosts the Raiders of the Lost Archive podcast with Christian Davenport and has taught courses on international security and game theory at UCSD. His work bridges theoretical rigor with practical field research challenges, particularly in insecure environments like Somalia and Ukraine.