He was previously a Lecturer of Political Science at the University of California–Berkeley, and Associate Editor for South Asia with the peer-reviewed academic journal Asian Survey. His published research deals with various aspects of comparative ethnonationalism, South Asian politics, and international relations. Jugdep was born and raised in California. He holds a B.A. degree in political science from the University of California–Berkeley and a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Missouri–Columbia.