She is a faculty affiliate of Georgetown University's African Studies Program and a member of the executive committee of Georgetown University's Center for Latin American Studies. Girod's research and teaching focuses on the international and comparative political economy of developing countries, particularly foreign aid and the political economy of natural resources. Her book Explaining Post-Conflict Reconstruction (2015) is an analysis of post-conflict reconstruction efforts around the world. Girod received her B.A. from Penn State University, M.Phil. from Trinity College in Dublin, and Ph.D. from Stanford University. She also held a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.