Roya Izadi

Biography

Dr. Roya Izadi joined the Political Science Department as an Assistant Professor in Fall 2022 after earning her PhD in Political Science from Binghamton University (SUNY). She directs the Security Forces, Rights & Society (SFRS) Lab at the Center for Non-Violence and Peace Studies at URI. She is also a Research Associate and Faculty Consultant at the Gender and the Security Sector (GSS) Lab at the Government Department at Cornell University and a 2026-2027 Fellow with Good Authority. Her research and teaching interests include political economy of security, civil-military relations, security sector reform, conflict, and post-conflict settlements, politics of authoritarianism, and politics of the Middle East and North Africa. In her research, Dr. Izadi combines a variety of research methodologies including cross-national large-N analysis, case studies, survey and experimental designs, archival and field research, and elite interviews. She has conducted field research in multiple countries, including Liberia, Cambodia, Jordan, Fiji, and Bangladesh.

Her research has been published or forthcoming in International Studies Quarterly, Security Studies, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Research and Politics, Armed Forces and Society, and International Interactions. She has also won multiple awards for outstanding research by the International Studies Association, the Peace Science Society (International), and Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society.

Dr. Izadi is interested in policy implications of political science research and has an extensive policy background. She has worked extensively with organizations such as UN Women, Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), and worked with multiple security forces around the world to produce comprehensive barrier assessments for military and police institutions around the world.

Dr. Izadi teaches courses on Middle Eastern Politics, International Conflict, Politics of Authoritarianism, Civil-military Relations, Research Design and Survey Methods.

Research

Civil-military relations, political economy of security, political violence, security sector reform, conflict, post-conflict settlements, gender and conflict

Education

  • Ph.D., Binghamton University (SUNY), 2022
  • M.A., Miami University (OH), 2016
  • M.A., University of Tehran, 2014
  • B.A., University of Tehran, 2011

Selected Publications

Forthcoming. “Military Involvement in the Economy and the Erosion of Civilian Control.” Security Studies (with Michael Kenwick).

2025. “From Bullets to Balance Sheets: How Military Involvement in the Economy Shapes Leader Survival.” International Studies Quarterly.

2025. “Bread, Butter, Barricade: Economic Grievance, Military Industry and Mutinies.” Conflict Management and Peace Science (with Lindsey Pruett.).

2023. “Multidimensional Measures of Militarization (M3) – A Global Dataset.” Armed Forces and Society (with Markus Bayer, Aurel Croissant, and Nikitas Scheeder).

2023. “Significant Incidents Against Americans Abroad: Introducing a New Dataset.” International Interactions (with Peyman Asadzadeh, Behzad Attarzade, Skip Mark, and Almira Sadykova).

2022. “State Security or Exploitation: A Theory of Military Involvement in the Economy.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(4-5): 729-754.

2022. “The Reputational Cost of Military Aggression: Evidence from the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine.” Research and Politics (with Peyman Asadzade).

Selected Op-Eds:

2026. “Why Washington Keeps Misreading Iran.” Good Authority.
2026. “Why Militaries Benefit from U.S. Foreign Assistance Cuts.” Good Authority.
2026. “The War with Iran Made the IRGC Stronger.” Journal of Democracy.
2022. “Iran’s security forces have little incentive to ease up on protesters.” Monkey Cage, Washington Post