Laia Balcells named recipient of prestigious ISA’s Award

Laia Balcells, a professor in Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences, was named the recipient of the 2025 ISA’s International Security Studies Section (ISSS) Emerging Scholar Award. This prestigious award recognizes her significant contributions to the field of political violence and civil war research.

Balcells, a professor in the Department of Government, is a leading expert in comparative politics and international relations. She earned her doctorate from Yale University and has previously held positions at Duke University and Princeton University. Her research has been published in esteemed journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and American Political Science Review. Her first book, Rivalry and Revenge: The Politics of Violence during Civil War, published by Cambridge University Press in 2017, was a runner-up for the 2018 Conflict Research Society Book of the Year Prize.

“I feel very honored to be receiving this award from the International Studies Association, which is a recognition of all the research I have been doing since I was a Ph.D. student,” Balcells said. “My work on security feels very timely now that the international order is changing and this is likely to have critical implications for national and international security. I hope that lessons from the past can help illuminate current and future developments.”

Professor Anthony Arend, chair of the Department of Government, spoke highly of Balcells’ achievements. “Professor Balcells is an amazingly productive and innovative scholar,” Arend said. “This Award is so well deserved. We are truly honored to have her as a colleague at Georgetown University.”

by Jinlin Liu (C’28)