She received a doctorate in government from Harvard University in 2000. Grzymała-Busse attended Princeton University (AB, Public and International Affairs, 1992) and Cambridge University (M. Phil., 1993). In 2017, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Books:

• Redeeming the Communist Past. The Regeneration of the Communist Successor Parties in East Central Europe. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2002.
• Rebuilding Leviathan. Party Competition and State Exploitation in Post-Communist Democracies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2007.
• Nations under God. How Churches Use Moral Authority to Influence Policy. Princeton University Press. Princeton 2015.

Awards:

• 2000 – Gabriel Amond Award for Best Dissertation in Comparative Politics; American Political Science Association (APSA)
• 2008 – Ed A. Hewett Prize for Best Publication on the Political Economy of the Former Soviet Union and East–Central Europe
• 2012 – Alexander George Award for Best Article, Qualitative Methods Section APSA
• 2016 – Best Book Award, European Politics and Society Section APSA, Nations under God
• 2016 – Giovanni Sartori Book Award, Honorable Mention, APSA, Nations under God
• 2017 – Luebbert Best Book Award, Comparative Politics Section APSA, Nations under God
• 2017 – Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, Nanovic Institute, Nations under God