Judd Birdsall is a senior advisor for the religion and inclusive societies team at USIP.

He is also an assistant professor of the practice in the theology and religious studies department at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.

Previously, Birdsall was based at the University of Cambridge, where founded a research center on religion and international studies and served as an affiliated lecturer in the politics and international studies department. Prior to his time at Cambridge, he served in the U.S. State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom and on the Secretary of State’s policy planning staff.

Birdsall received his doctorate in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge. He received a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in American religious history from Wheaton College.

His research interests include the role of religion in world affairs, diplomatic engagement with religious actors and international religious freedom.

Birdsall is the editor of the website Religion & Diplomacy, and his work has appeared in the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Guardian, Huffington Post, Christianity Today, Religion News Service, and Religion & Politics. He is also a senior editor and a frequent contributor at The Review of Faith & International Affairs.