Welcome.
I am the Leo Marx Career Development Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I am a member of the MIT Security Studies Program (SSP) and co-direct the SSP Wargaming Lab.
My research examines how emerging military technology affects conflict dynamics and the use of force. In my book project, I study how remote warfighting technologies – like drones – are reshaping modern statecraft. The book manuscript draws from my dissertation, which received the 2020 Merze Tate Award from the American Political Science Association for the best dissertation in international relations, law, and politics.
In other ongoing projects, I explore how technology and public opinion influence decisions on the use of force and alliance politics. I am also interested in the role of food in international politics.
My work has appeared in academic and policy outlets including Journal of Politics, European Journal of International Relations, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Security Studies, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and The Washington Post. My research has been supported by the Eisenhower Institute, the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Tobin Project. I have held fellowships at Dartmouth’s Dickey Center for International Understanding, the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, and at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. I am fellow with the Bridging the Gap Project and an adjunct fellow with the Center for a New American Security Defense Program.
I completed my PhD in Political Science at Columbia University and an M.S. and B.S. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before entering academia, I was an active duty officer in the United States Air Force and continue to serve on the Joint Staff as a member of the Air Force Reserve.
You can reach me at eriklg (at) mit (dot) edu.