Zeynep Bulutgil

Zeynep Bulutgil is a Professor of Political Science and International Relations in the Department of Political Science at University College London, where she currently serves as Director of Research. Her academic career spans prestigious institutions including Princeton University, Harvard Kennedy School, and Yale Center for International and Area Studies, reflecting her significant contributions to political science.

Professor Bulutgil's research centers on three interconnected domains: ethnic cleansing and political violence, secular state formation, and ethno-religious mobilization. She examines large-scale societal and institutional transformations across state borders over the past three centuries, with particular emphasis on how political cleavages, territorial conflicts, and religious institutions shape state behavior and societal outcomes in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Her scholarly output reveals consistent analytical themes exploring the relationship between political institutions, social cleavages, and societal transformations, particularly through comparative historical analysis and multi-method approaches. Her publications demonstrate methodological rigor combining statistical analysis of original datasets, historical case studies, and field research, with particular focus on institutional secularization and ethnic violence.

• Winner of the 2017 Best Book Award in the European Politics and Society Section of APSA
• 2023 Hubert Morken Best Book in Religion and Politics Award at APSA
• 2023 Best Book Award in the Religion and International Relations Section of ISA
• 2023 Honorable Mention for the APSA David Greenstone Prize in Politics and History
• Shortlisted for the 2023 Gregory Luebbert Award for Best Book in Comparative Politics at APSA
• British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship (2019-2020)

Professor Bulutgil's research has received substantial funding from major institutions including the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, Yale Center for International and Area Studies, National Science Foundation, and British Academy. She serves as Associate Editor at Nationalities Papers and actively supervises PhD students through UCL's Department of Political Science, contributing significantly to Sustainable Development Goals 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).