Associate Professor

Chair, Department of Political Science

Director, International Studies Program

Curriculum Vitae

As chair of the Department of Political Science and director of the International Studies Program at Niagara University, David Reilly has built programs that link coursework to real-world policymaking.  As a result of his innovative active teaching approach, in 2005 he received Niagara University’s Excellence in Teaching Award.  His research has addressed how ideas and information flow across borders.  His work with state-of-the-art spatial analytic techniques has resulted in a clearer understanding of how leaders’ decisions are affected by their environment.  In this context, his research has addressed state failure, democratization, human rights, terrorism, cooperation and conflict.  His publications include works in World Politics, Geopolitics, International Studies Review, Journal of Conflict Studies, and East European Politics and Societies and blend his expertise in international relations with his methodological skills and appreciation of comparative politics. 

David received his Ph.D. in International Relations in 2001 from the University of Colorado at Boulder.  He lives with his wife Laura – a professor at the SUNY-Buffalo School of Law – and sons Joshua (8) and Nathaniel (7) in Niagara Falls, NY.  David is originally from New Hampshire and he and Laura used to live in Boston.  As a result, they are all avid fans of New England teams: the Boston Red Sox, Celtics, and New England Patriots (Given the success of Boston sports, 2007 has been a very good year!).  Josh and Nate play soccer and baseball in the Whirlpool Park leagues, and David coaches many of their teams.  The whole family loves to travel, read, and hike, not necessarily all at the same time…

Among the things you may not know about David:  he has skydived (solo) and hang-glided, he once was in an a capella singing group (Middlebury College’s Dissipated Eight), he was a champion spelling bee-er at Epping Jr. High School (lost in the regionals with the word “indefatigable”), he is a proud member of Niagara University’s Team Old intramurals basketball team, he grew up on a horse farm, he once wrote a novel, and he is a voracious reader of fiction (favorite authors: Tom Robbins, John Irving, and Richard Russo).