Luis Felipe Mantilla

Luis Felipe Mantilla is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Political Science at the University of South Florida’s School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies (St. Petersburg campus), where he has worked since 2020. Previously, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Politics at USF St. Petersburg (2013–2020) and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Georgetown University (2012–2013). He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Government from Georgetown University (2012), an M.A. in Government (Georgetown, 2012), and a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College (2004, cum laude).

His research focuses on comparative political parties, religion and politics, and natural resource politics, with regional expertise in Latin America and the Middle East. His book How Political Parties Mobilize Religion: Lessons from Mexico and Turkey (2021) examines religious engagement in Catholic and Sunni-majority contexts. His work has appeared in journals like Party Politics, Democratization, and Politics and Religion.

Mantilla has received grants and fellowships including the USF Internal Research Grant (2020) and the Berkley Center Fellowship (2010–2012). He teaches courses such as Comparative Politics, Politics and Religion, and Natural Resource Politics. Fluent in English and Spanish, he also has proficiency in Arabic.