Müge Uğuz
Ph.D. Student · Department of Political Science, The George Washington University
I study migration, nationalism, and ethnic politics: why people leave their countries, and how those who leave stay politically tied to the places they left. I am a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the George Washington University, majoring in Comparative Politics with a minor in Research Methods.
My current work includes DEPART, a global dataset of nonresident voter registration and turnout; a study of why medical doctors emigrate from Turkey; and research with Seray Yalaz on how diasporas respond to rebel tactics in civil wars. In 2025–26 I am a Ph.D. Student Fellow at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES).
Before GWU, I earned an M.A. in Nationalism Studies from Central European University in Vienna and a B.A. in International Relations from Bilkent University in Ankara. I also worked in communications for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Turkey.
Projects
DEPART
A global dataset of how many citizens abroad register to vote in their home country's elections, and how many turn out.
Explore the projectDoctors leaving Turkey
A profession-based account of why medical doctors emigrate, and why some stay.
See all researchNews
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Presented “Beyond Borders: A Global Dataset of Nonresident Voter Registration and Turnout” at MPSA in Chicago.
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Began teaching sections of Scope and Methods of Political Science with Prof. Steven J. Balla.
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Presented “Medical Doctors’ Emigration From Turkey” at the MESA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
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Named a 2025–26 Ph.D. Student Fellow at the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.
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Taught Politics, Law, and Economics at Yale Young Global Scholars.
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Received the GWU Political Science Department’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award.