Geoffrey Macdonald

Geoffrey Macdonald is a political scientist and development practitioner. Dr. Macdonald’s research focuses on party politics, democratic institutions, political and extremist violence, and comparative politics with a regional focus on Bangladesh and South Asia. His writing has been published by the Journal of Democracy, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, the Council on Foreign Relations, and various other academic and policy outlets. Dr. Macdonald has taught political science at George Washington University, Grinnell College, and other institutions. He holds a doctorate from the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies and was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship to India in 2012. Dr. Macdonald also has nine years of experience working in the democracy-assistance sector, including as an NGO country director in Bangladesh (2018-2022). He oversaw the design, implementation, evaluation and financial management of programs on civil society capacity building, youth civic education, minority rights, political party strengthening, and countering violent extremism.