Dr. Caitlin Talmadge

Biography

Caitlin Talmadge is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she is also a faculty affiliate at the Security Studies Program and a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Foreign Policy Brookings Institution. Her research focuses on nuclear deterrence, escalation, U.S. military operations strategy, and security issues in Asia and the Persian Gulf. Talmadge has authored several influential books, including 'Dictator’s Army: Battlefield Effectiveness in Authoritarian Regimes' (Cornell, 2015), which was recognized as a distinguished work in 2016 by Foreign Affairs and won the 2017 Book Award from the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association. She is currently co-authoring 'U.S. Defense Politics: Origins of Security Policy' (fourth edition, Routledge, 2021) and working on a new book regarding nuclear escalation risks in conventional warfare. Talmadge has published extensively in academic journals such as 'International Security', 'Security Studies', and the 'Journal of Conflict Resolution', and has contributed commentary to various media outlets including the New York Times and CNN. She holds an A.B. in Government, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT. Her previous roles include serving as a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and as a consultant for the Office of Net Assessment at the U.S. Department of Defense, along with teaching positions at George Washington University and Georgetown University.

Research Interests

Experience