Elisabeth Wood is the Crosby Professor of the Human Environment, Professor of Political Science and International and Regional Studies, and Co-director of the Program in Agrarian Studies at Yale University. In February 2026, she will be affiliated with PRIF’s Research Department Intrastate Conflict.
Her main research interests include political violence – particularly sexual violence in armed conflict – the emergence of insurgent movements, and processes of democratization, with a regional focus on Latin America and Africa.
During her guest professorship, Elisabeth Wood will give a lecture at PRIF on “The Social Production of Wartime Violence” with a focus on Colombia and discuss ethical issues in research with PRIF researchers. She will also speak on Sexual Violence during War as part of the TraCe Lecture Series at Goethe University.
These research interests are reflected in her publication record, including the monographs Forging Democracy from Below and Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador, as well as widely cited journal articles on political violence, collective mobilization, and accountability in war. Her more recent works include Rape as a Practice of War and What Should We Mean by a Pattern of Violence?
Wood began her academic training with a B.A. in Physics from Cornell University (1979) and a B.A. in Philosophy and Mathematics from the University of Oxford (1981). She subsequently earned an M.A. in Physics (1984) and an M.A. in Latin American Studies (1988), both from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her PhD at Stanford University in 1995.
Her interdisciplinary career and scholarly contributions have been recognized through honors and appointments. In 2010, she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2013, she received the Graduate Mentor Award in the Social Sciences. From 2020 to 2024, she served on the editorial leadership of the American Political Science Review, having previously been a member of its Editorial Board.