#  Faisal Ahmed 

Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Scholars Program (spring 2026)

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Wellesley College

 

 

 



   ![Headshot of Faisal Ahmed.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8356/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-07/ahmed-faisal.jpeg?h=d105ecde&itok=M3SvJWAT) 

 



 

 location\_on 1727 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 

 laptop\_windows [Personal website](https://faisalzahmed.com) 

 

 



 

Faisal Ahmed is a political economist whose research examines the relationship between international economic forces and political institutions, with particular attention to foreign aid, international finance, trade, authoritarianism, conflict, and long-run economic development. His recent work explores how historical institutions and state formation have shaped contemporary patterns of governance and development, especially in Muslim-majority societies. He is Associate Professor of Political Science at Wellesley College and previously a faculty member at Princeton University. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 2010. His book *Conquests and Rents: A Political Economy of Dictatorship and Violence in Muslim Societies* (Cambridge University Press, 2023) received the 2024 Best Book Award from the Democracy and Autocracy Section of the American Political Science Association.

**Research Interests:** Political economy; international economics and development; economic history; and globalization.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Academic Year
    
     [Academic Year 2026-27](/academic-year/academic-year-2026-27)
- ## People
    
     [Visiting Scholars](/people/visiting-scholars)