Dillon Laaker
Assistant Professor, Department of Government
Academic focus:
International relations and international political economy
Current research project:
I'm examining how global firms have become drivers of the recent wave of protectionist policies, challenging the conventional wisdom that multinational businesses uniformly favor open markets.
Previous positions:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance, Princeton University, 2025–2026
Academic background:
Ph.D., Political science (international relations/methodology), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2024
B.S., Political science, Truman State University, 2016
Last book read:
"Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare" by Edward Fishman
In your own time/when not working:
I can be found running or walking around Ithaca or watching stand-up comedy.
Courses you're most looking forward to teaching:
The Politics of International Trade
What most excites you about Cornell:
Advising and mentoring students at every stage — from undergraduates discovering international political economy for the first time to Ph.D. students developing their own research agendas.
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