Allan C. Stam, PhD

Allan C. Stam, PhD, is the former Dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Previously, he was Director of the International Policy Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Scientist at the University of Michigan. Prior to moving to Michigan in 2007, he was the Daniel Webster Professor at Dartmouth College (2000-2007), Visiting Professor at Harvard University (2004) and Assistant Professor at Yale University (1996-2000). Before completing his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 1988 where he earned a varsity letter in heavyweight crew, he served as a communications specialist on an ‘A’ detachment in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He served later as an armor officer in the US Army Reserves. He holds an MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the dynamics of armed conflict and political leadership. His work on war outcomes, war durations, mediation, and alliance politics appears in numerous political science journals, including the American Political Science Review, International Security, and International Organization. He has received several grants supporting his work, including five from the National Science Foundation. His books include Democracies at War (Princeton University Press, 2002) and Why Leaders Fight (Cambridge University Press, 2015). He is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and recipient of the 2004 Karl Deutsch award, given annually by the International Studies Association to the scholar under the age of 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the study of international politics.