Heather Swadley is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University, joining the department in fall 2023. She earned her Ph.D .in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania in 2021. She also holds a J.D. from Temple Beasley School of Law and MSc. degrees from the London School of Economics & Political Science and SOAS, University of London.
Professor Swadley's research focuses on the political development of citizenship over time, with a particular focus on the relationship between disability rights and citizenship law from the 1960s-Present. To complement her research on disability in American politics, Professor Swadley's research draws insights from legal history, law & public policy, public health, and critical disability studies. Driven by her emphasis in disability politics and an ethos of "nothing about us without us," Professor Swadley is also working on how to develop more participatory and engaged qualitative research methods.
At Lehigh, Professor Swadley teaches courses in public and constitutional law and American Politics.
