Schar PhD+

Beyond the Classroom. Toward a Career.

Schar PhD+ is the Schar School’s comprehensive professional development suite for doctoral students in political science and public policy. Across the school and the broader university, students have access to a wide range of enriching opportunities—workshops, research talks, guest speakers, writing groups, and community events.

PhD+ brings these resources together in one place, making it easier for students to discover what’s happening on campus and take full advantage. Our goal is to enhance and extend the doctoral experience by helping students build the skills, networks, and professional competencies that support long-term career success.

Coffee with Rob

Grab a cup of coffee with Rob McGrath, Associate Professor and Director of the PhD Programs in Political Science and Public Policy, on February 11, February 25, and April 8, from 3:30–4:30 p.m. in the Van Metre Hall Lobby in Mason Square.

Brown Bag Workshop Series

All sessions are held noon to 1 p.m. in Aquia Hall 334 in Fairfax. Also available via Zoom. Contact John Washington.

  • February 4: Sanggyu Suh, The Trump Effect: US Immigration Policy and Transit Migrants in Central America
  • February 18: Loveline Phillips, Pandemic-Driven Adaptations in Community Supervision: Resilience or Fragility in Experiences for Clients and Staff
  • March 4: Barbara Montgomery, Madness or Method? Evaluating the Strategic Effectiveness of the Kim Dynasty's Nuclear Brinkmanship
  • March 18: Chad Smith, Invention Complexity, Latent Innovation Capabilities, and Economic Development in Upper Middle-Income Countries
  • March 25: Phil Martin, Anticolonial Rebellions and Asymmetric Nationalism in Africa
  • April 1: Bassam Haddad, Understanding Syria’s Calamity: Uprising, Transformation, and Collapse
  • April 15: Georgios Zacharias, Explaining Variation in Allied Perceptions of US Reliability: Evidence from Greece and Poland
  • April 29: Rob McGrath, Representing Crisis: District Opioid Mortality and Member Behavior in Congressional Hearings

Micro-Economic Policy Seminar (MEPS)

All sessions are held Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in Van Metre Hall 322 in Mason Square.

Center for Security Policy Studies (CSPS) Events

All sessions are held from 12 - 1 p.m. in Van Metre Hall, Room 602

  • February 10: Janine Wedel and Mariia Panga, Security Threats Posed by Illicit Finance Networks in the Global Offshore System
  • February 24: Stephen Gailliot, The Decision to (Not) Launch: The Logic of Iran’s Crisis Behavior and Attacks on Israel in 2024
  • March 3: Nickolaus Kesler
  • March 17: Sanggyu Suh, Eco-nationalism and Minority Expulsions: Evidence from Environmental Mega Projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
  • April 14: Barbara Montgomery, Madness or Method? Evaluating the Strategic Effectiveness of the Kim Dynasty's Nuclear Brinkmanship

Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE!) Events

Please visit the ACE! website for more information.

Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science (ICES)

ICES hosts weekly Brown Bag Lectures on Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. at Arlington’s Vernon Smith Hall, Room 5183. Visit their website for the full lecture schedule.

Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) Events

Please visit TraCCC's website for the full schedule.

Proposal and Dissertation Defenses

Regularly announced by John Washington. Please check your email for more information.

Get Involved Across the Schar School

At the Schar School, doctoral students are part of an active research community. Our 17 research centers, institutes, and initiatives bring together faculty, students, and external partners to address policy challenges across a wide range of fields. You are encouraged to take advantage of schoolwide events and center activities to meet scholars, workshop ideas, and find opportunities to collaborate on faculty-led projects, present at research conferences, and publish articles and reports