Candice Ortbals-Wiser
Ph.D. Political Science, Indiana University Bloomington
Office: 019A Calvin Hall
Dr. Candice Ortbals-Wiser is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Kansas State University, specializing in Comparative Politics and International Relations. She earned her B.A. from Harding University and her Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining K-State in 2025, she held teaching positions at Abilene Christian University, the University of Seville, and Pepperdine University.
Dr. Ortbals’ research focuses on women, gender, and terrorism, with a geographic emphasis on Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. A widely published scholar, her books include Why Don’t Women Rule the World: Understanding Women’s Civic and Political Choices (2019) and The Palgrave Handbook of Politics and Fashion (2024, co-edited with Karen M. Kedrowski, Lori Poloni-Staudinger, and J. Cherie Strachan). Her work appears in leading journals such as Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy, Political Research Quarterly, Critical Studies on Terrorism, International Studies Quarterly, Gender Issues, South European Society and Politics, and International Feminist Journal of Politics.
Her research has been recognized with the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics and numerous external grants. Dr. Ortbals has served as President of both the Women’s Caucus of the Midwest Political Science Association and the National Women’s Caucus for Political Science. At K-State, she teaches courses on European, American, and Latin American politics, gender and terrorism, women and politics, and the politics of revolutions and protests.