Paul Manuel

Paul Manuel was appointed an affiliated professor at Georgetown University in 2009 in both the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Government Department.

Paul Manuel

He has been a research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown since 2010.


He is a seasoned academic administrator with a background in the liberal arts. His professional record underlines his abilities as a creative and collaborative academic leader. He has been a pioneer in developing, implementing, and assessing academically rigorous experiential programs at three institutions over the past twenty-five years. The “theory to practice” academic programs that he has designed have helped students develop their research skills, leadership abilities, and interdisciplinary understanding. Students completing these programs have been well-prepared for their future academic and professional careers.


Dr. Manuel previously worked at the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC, where he served as the leadership program director for seven years. Previously, Dr. Manuel founded and directed the Mount Leadership Institute (now called ILEAD) at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and, before that, he was a co-founder and executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. He was a tenured full professor of politics at Mount St. Mary’s University and Saint Anselm College. He served as the politics department chair at Saint Anselm College for 15 years. Manuel has also taught at the University of Maryland-College Park, Boston University, and at the University of New Hampshire (Durham and Manchester). He has received Fulbright and National Endowment for the Humanities grants. He has served on the Executive Council of the New England Political Science Association and is a local affiliate at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University.


Dr. Manuel, an author or co-author of 12 books and numerous scholarly articles, is a political scientist specializing in religion and politics, focusing on Portugal. He holds a Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University, an M.T.S. from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now known as the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry), an M.A. in international relations from Boston University, and a B.A. in political science, Summa Cum Laude, from Boston University.