Dr. Ashley Moran

Biography

Ashley McIlvain Moran is a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Government and serves as the research director for the Comparative Constitutions Project. She co-directs UT’s work at the nexus of public law and political science, focusing on training students for democracy assistance abroad. Currently, she is involved in a National Science Foundation-funded project utilizing digital tools to enhance constitutional design. As the co-editor-in-chief of Constitutional Studies, an international multilingual journal, she publishes on the theory and practice of constitutional governance globally. Previously, Ashley directed the state fragility initiative at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law and led interdisciplinary research programs funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and USAID. She has taught courses on fragile states at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Internationally, Ashley has worked as a parliamentary advisor in Georgia and managed democratic reform programs in Azerbaijan and Iraq. Her current research emphasizes constitutional development in divided societies, with a significant focus on the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court's role in promoting social cohesion. She has received multiple degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, including a PhD in Government.

Research Interests

Courses