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About
Marist Fall 2026 Open House
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
About
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Academics
Marist Fall 2026 Open House
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Academics
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Admission & Financial Aid
Marist Fall 2026 Open House
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Admission & Financial Aid
-
Student Life
Marist Fall 2026 Open House
Join us for a Fall Open House and see Marist for yourself. Explore our stunning riverfront campus, learn more about academics and admissions, and get a firsthand look at life as a Red Fox. Along the way, you'll hear from students, faculty, and staff about the opportunities, connections, and experiences that make Marist special. Register Below:
Student Life
- Athletics
Safa Al-Saeedi
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Bio
Dr. Al-Saeedi is a political comparativist and research methodologist specializing in the intersections of technology and politics in nondemocracies. She joined the faculty of political science at Marist in Fall 2023, following a postdoctoral associateship in political science at MIT and a predoctoral fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School.
Her research centers on how communication channels, broadly construed, shape social conflict under authoritarian rule. It draws on statistical and qualitative evidence, taking the Middle East, especially the Arabian Peninsula, as its empirical ground. Her scholarship has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Political Science Association (APSA), and the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS), among others.
At Marist, she teaches courses on research methodology, technology, religion, and the politics of the modern Middle East.
She earned both her Ph.D. and Master’s degree in political science from Northwestern University and holds a B.A. in political science, economics, and philosophy from Duke University.
Education
PhD, Northwestern University
MA, Northwestern University
BA, Duke University
Research Interests/ Areas of Focus
Research Interests: Political Communication; Research Methodology; Public Policy; Religion and Politics; Social Change; Authoritarian Regimes
Regional Specialization: Middle East
Subfield Specializations: Comparative Politics; Research Methodology
Selected Publications and Policy Works
Al-Saeedi, Safa. "Appeals of the Saudi Populace in Petitions at the King’s Doorsteps (1990–2012)." British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies (2026): 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2026.2652396.
Al-Saeedi, Safa, and Christina Bouri. "Governance Fragmentation and Collapsing Health in Wartime Yemen." Lawfare, July 19, 2026. https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/governance-fragmentation-and-collapsing-health-in-wartime-yemen.
Al-Saeedi, Safa. "The Arab Spring: Why Did the Uprisings Miss the Monarchies?" Contemporary Politics 28, no. 5 (2022): 491–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569775.2021.2002547.
Select Courses
Research Methods
Technology and Politics
Religion and World Politics
History and Politics of the Modern Middle East
