Megan Ward

Megan Ward is a Research Fellow at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington. Her work focuses on under-reported conflicts, marginalized religious practices, and law enforcement dynamics in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and global contexts.

• Ph.D. in International Studies (2022), University of Washington
• M.S. in Homeland Security (2016), San Diego State University
• B.A. in Study of Religion (2013), University of California, San Diego

Research Interests include:

• Impact of policy decisions on informal religious traditions in borderlands
• Disinformation campaigns and cybersecurity policy
• Surveillance culture and punitive governance in homeland security
• Human trafficking intersections with Western tourism in Southeast Asia
• Digital ethnography and archival analysis of political discourse

Recent Publications address:

• Cybersecurity policy and social media ethnography
• Historical representations in military gaming
• Surveillance and white supremacy in domestic terrorism
• Disinformation mitigation strategies

Scientific Awards include:

• Presidential Dissertation Fellowship (2022)
• Henry M. Jackson Fellowship (2021)
• Women in Defense Horizons Scholarship (2019-2020)
• JSIS Diversity & Equity Grant (2018)
• Dr. Clyde Snow Fund awards (2017-2018)

Grants & Fellowships highlight her focus on cybersecurity, Latin American studies, and disinformation mitigation. She works with the JSIS Global Research Group and has contributed to policy analysis on global disinformation.