Mashail Malik

Mashail Malik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Harvard University, where she began her appointment in July 2022. Her research specializes in the political psychology of identity, examining how ethnicity, migration, and social identities shape political behavior and governance. She employs interdisciplinary mixed-method approaches across diverse contexts including Pakistan, Egypt, the UK, and the US.

Education:

• PhD in Political Science, Stanford University
• MA in International Relations, University of Chicago
• BA in Economics and Philosophy, Beloit College

Her research investigates core questions about identity formation, voter behavior, and responses to discrimination, with geographic expertise spanning Asia, MENA, Europe, and the United States. She utilizes experimental, survey-based, and qualitative methodologies to study how economic shocks, violence exposure, and institutional representation affect marginalized communities. Current work explores dignity preservation amid poor governance and the microfoundations of ethnic party success.

Publications reveal consistent focus on identity-driven politics through innovative methods including meta-analyses of conjoint experiments and multi-sited fieldwork. Recent articles demonstrate growing emphasis on policing biases, immigrant selection preferences, and the psychological resilience of discriminated groups, often employing comparative designs across Global South contexts.

Awards and Fellowships:

• Best Dissertation Award (APSA Urban Politics Section)
• Best Fieldwork Award (APSA Democracy & Autocracy Section)

Research support includes grants from the National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, J-PAL, and Harvard initiatives (Inequality in America, Mittal Institute). Doctoral fellowships include the Gerald J. Lieberman Fellowship and Stanford's Institute for Research in Social Sciences support. She leads interdisciplinary projects on migration governance and identity salience.