Nicholas Sambanis

Presidential Distinguished Professor of Political Science

Nicholas Sambanis is the Presidential Distinguished Professor of Political Science. He is among the world’s leading scholars of violent civil wars, secessionist conflicts, and strategies for conflict resolution and peace-building. 

Sambanis came to Penn from Yale, where he was the Phillip R. Allen Professor of Political Science and director of the Program in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. He has also served as a World Bank Consultant. He is the author of three influential books, as well as more than 20 articles in top academic journals. Sambanis is the Founder and Faculty Director of the Penn Identity and Conflict Lab, which conducts problem-driven multidisciplinary research in the social sciences.