My work is driven by a desire to understand violent political behavior. The functions of identity, collective meaning, and performance lie at the heart of this topic.

In 2007, I attended a talk by Mark Juergensmeyer during which he outlined the years of research that went into his book, Terror in the Mind of God. Reading his work led me to that of Laura Sjoberg, Dara Kay Cohen, Elisabeth Wood, Rich Nielsen, Mia Bloom, Lee Ann Fujii, and Elizabeth Nugent, all of which inspire and influence my own research.

For over a decade I have intentionally sat with one foot in academia and one in research consulting, often partnering with INGOs in conflict-affected communities. This has allowed me to build a cross-disciplinary knowledge base and diverse methods skillset, while I have then tested across a rich array of fieldwork settings—including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia (Summer 2019); Idaho, United States (March 2019); Central African Republic (December 2017); Ethiopia (August 2017); Nigeria (July 2017); Afghanistan (May 2017); Kenya (April 2017); Lebanon (June-August, October-November 2015); Thailand (November-December 2015); Tajikistan (February-May 2011); India (September 2011).

After years of freelance consulting, I decided to create an organization that would nurture the type of research I wanted to see in the world—meaning, research driven by a commitment to rigorous mixed-methods, that pushes the boundaries of gender-sensitive empirical work, and that is collectively resourced. Global Insight was founded in 2011 and has grown into a thriving research consultancy. We work with academics, independent scholars, practitioners, and donors interested in addressing lingering questions in fragile states. For me, this includes participation in political violence and cooperation with armed non-state actors (sometimes called P/CVE in the policy space); humanitarian aid, including cash and voucher assistance; conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV); and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

I see research as a creative endeavor—one that I pursue alongside other work. In 2013, I launched Continuum after years of informally organizing with my feminist co-conspirators. The Women in Conflict project began around this same time with fieldwork in Tajikistan and the borderlands of Afghanistan.

I am privileged to find myself now at Yale University, bringing together my research interests and past experience as I pursue doctoral study in the Department of Political Science. When not in the field or buried behind books, I can be found speaking at events and conferences, guest lecturing, and leading workshops.

LOCALE: I can most often be found wandering with a notebook in hand throughout New York, San Francisco, and the Pacific Northwest, unless off doing fieldwork that is.

Official Bio

Jillian J. Foster studies recruitment and mobilization into armed groups and the performative nature of political violence at Yale University. Prior to joining Yale’s Department of Political Science, Foster completed masters degrees in gender studies from University College London and data science from New York University. As a Gender, Peace & Security expert, Foster has spent over a decade designing and leading fifteen quasi-experimental and mixed-methods studies, along with fieldwork in 12 countries. She is the founder of Global Insight, a consultancy specializing in the use of gender-sensitive, mixed-methods empirical research in fragile contexts. Foster is the Principal Investigator for the Women in Conflict Project, a research initiative - data collection: Somalia/land (2019); Afghanistan (2017); Syrian, Kurdish, and Palestinian women in Lebanon (2015); Tajikistan borderlands (2011) - that recently launched a podcast of the same name and for the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) joint review of conflict-related sexual violence and sexual exploitation and abuse.

Foster’s research has been supported by UN Women, CARE, the One Earth Future Fund, University College London, UNHCR and UNDP, in addition to the Yale University MacMillan Center Program on Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Humanitarian Responses Fellowship. Her work has informed programming and policy at UN DPO and DPPA, CARE, Plan International, World Vision, UNHCR, UN Women, the UN Trust Fund, the International Rescue Committee, and countless other INGOs. She has presented her research to academics and practitioners in Atlanta, Geneva, Ghana, Lebanon, New York, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Washington, DC.

Jillian J. Foster

Being a curious soul, I am keen to learn about new projects and explore collaboration. Please use the contact information below to inquire about working together or my availability for speaking engagements. I lead only a few workshops per year, but am always happy to discuss.

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Office —
Yale University
Department of Political Science
P.O. Box 208301
New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8301
United States
t: +1 (202) 503-9151
e: jillian.foster@yale.edu