Julia Macdonald is an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies where her research focuses on state threat assessments, use of force decisions, and U.S. military strategy and effectiveness. Her first book project (co-authored with Jacquelyn Schneider) traces the rise of unmanned technologies in the US Department of Defense and is under contract with Oxford University Press. Her second book project lies at the intersection of coercive diplomacy and foreign policy decision making and investigates the importance of leadership beliefs in assessments of threat credibility during international crises. Examples of her research can be found in recent editions of Security Studies, the Journal of Conflict Resolution,Journal of Strategic Studies, Foreign Policy Analysis, Texas National Security Review,Armed Forces and Society, as well as in a range of policy outlets.

Macdonald has previously held fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House, Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and with theSecurity Studies Program at MIT. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the George Washington University, an M.A. (Hons) in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. (Hons) in History, Philosophy, and International Relations from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. She has previously worked at the RAND Corporation and the New Zealand Ministry of Defense.