PhD Students
Ruqaya Abdirahman
Ph.D. Student– International Relations
Yixin Bai
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Nicholas Barden
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Early Modern Political Thought, Sovereignty, Constitutionalism, Civil War
Ph.D. dissertation
Bridling the Prince: Reforming French Constitutional Thought, 1532-1586
Quinn Bornstein
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA Brown University; MA Georgetown University
Representation; Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Politics; Rural Public Opinion and Rural Development; Food and Agriculture Public Policy
Publications
Trust in Government and its Implications for Policy Attitudes; State Uses of COVID-19 Funding for Local and Regional Food Systems
Benjamin Burnley
Ph.D. Candidate – American Government
BA Florida State University; MS Middle Tennessee University
Technology; Political communication; Political knowledge; Tech policy; Public opinion
Justin Casey
Ph.D. Candidate – International Relations
BS Towson University; MA Georgetown University
Propaganda; Ideology; Power Politics; Subversion; Hegemony; the Far Right
Ph.D. dissertation
Enemy Voices: The Evolution of Anglo-American Propaganda
Daniel Nexon (Chair), David Edelstein, Abraham L. Newman
Publications
Ideological Topography in World Politics: A Guide to the End of the Unipolar-Homogeneous Moment (International Studies Quarterly)
With Friends Like These: The Disadvantages of Total Ideology (working) Alternate Universalities: The Sources, Conduct, and Outcomes of Ideological Bloc Conflicts(with Daniel Nexon, Working)
Joel Chavez
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BA University of Texas at Austin; MPA Texas A&M
U.S. Energy Policy; Intergovernmental Relations; Oil and Gas Production Markets; Curbing the Natural Resource Curse
Joseph Dains
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Manon Fortemps
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
MA Sciences Po Paris
State fragility, state conflict, western foreign aid, political economy of international organizations
Christian Alejandro Gonzales
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BA Columbia University
18th and 19th-century political thought; historiography and philosophy of history; moral philosophy; slavery and abolition; the French Revolution and the rise of modern democracy
Mikael Good
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Rashaud Hannah
Ph.D. Student – American Government
Sarah Hayes
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA California State University; MA University of California
Race & Ethnic Politics, Gender Politics, Political Behavior, and Public Policy
Jonas Heering
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
BA Texas Christian University; MA Georgetown University
Internet governance and International relations; Regulation of social media, disinformation, and digital authoritarianism
Claire Hazbun
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
B.S, Georgetown University (2020);
Research Interests: Conflict and Political Violence; Identity and Ethnicity; Democratization; State Fragility; African Politics
Yaakov Huba
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
B.A, Yale University: Political Science with Honors (2023);
M.A, New York University: Politics (2024)
Research Interests: Religion and Politics, Democracy, Democratization, Regime Change, Voting Behavior, Mass Atrocities
Samirah Jaigirdar
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Connecticut College: International Relations and Global Islamic Studies;
M.T.S, Harvard Divinity School: Religion, Ethics, and Politics
Research Interests: Foreign Policy Analysis; International Relations Theory; Security Studies; Religion and Politics.
Suna Jeong
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Sebastian Kennelly
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Da Sul Kim
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BA Chung-Ang University (South Korea)
Political economy of poverty; Characteristics of regimes(authoritarianism) and institutions; Foreign investment & redistribution policy
Min Ha Kim
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
Thijs Kleinpaste
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
Nick Kodama
Ph.D. Candidate – International Relations
BA Brandeis University; MA Georgetown University
Nuclear deterrence; Non-proliferation; East Asian security; Japanese foreign policy.
Publications
Nick Kodama. (2021). “Threatening the Unthinkable: Strategic Stability and the Credibility of North Korea’s Nuclear Threats”. Journal of Global Security Studies 6 (1): 1-15.
Nick Kodama. (2019). “Dynamic Institutionalization: The Foundations of Japan’s Radioactive Problem”. The Nonproliferation Review 26 (1-2): 43-60.
Hashem Krayem
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
Theodore Lai
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
BA Yale-NUS College(Singapore); MA University of Chicago
Rhetoric and Conceptual Change, Ancient Greek and Roman Civil Wars, American Civil War
Theodore Landsman
Ph.D. Student – American Government
Pedro Lara de Arruda
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Cathy Lee
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
Claire Lee
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Keeheon Lee
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BA University of California, Los Angeles
Natural Resource and Environmental Politics of Developing Countries; Indonesian (and Southeast Asian) Politics; Political Institutions; Political Economy
Timothy Liptrot
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Marcel Mejia Taveras
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Kylie McGlothlin
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
BA Indiana University
Early French liberal thought, the individual and society, Mme de Staël, literature and politics
Ph.D. dissertation
Literature and Liberal Thought: Theatre, the Novel, and Mme de Staēl
Patrick McSweeney
Ph.D. Student – American Government
Shea Minter
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
Ankushi Mitra
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BS Georgetown University; MS Trinity College Dublin
Comparative citizenship, meaningful citizenship, and uneven development; Sustainable development
Jessica Norris
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
BA University of California, Santa Barbara
Energy and environmental policy design, specifically within the Chinese political context; Focuses on the origins and viability of China’s burgeoning cap and trade policy
Maria Pachon
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
Gabrielle Panzo
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA University of Miami; MA University of Miami
Parushya
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Kerney Perlik
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
BS United States Military Academy, West Point; MA Fletcher School at Tufts University
War Termination, Rapprochement Theory, Post-Conflict Interstate Relations, Conflict-Cooperation Spectrum
Ludovico Picciotto
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
BS London School of Economics; Dual MA/MSc Columbia University & LSE
Early Modern Political Theory; History of Money and Finance
Rong Qin
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
BA William & Mary; MA Johns Hopkins SAIS
Interdependence; Disruptive Technologies; Technology Governance; Diplomacy; Trade and Investment
Benjamin Reese
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA Hood College
Bureaucratic Politics; U.S. Presidency; Public Administration; Causal Inference; Data Science
Publications
Benjamin Reese. “Estimating Unknown Cut-points in Regression Discontinuity & Kink Designs.” Working Paper
Benjamin Reese. “Bottom-Up Patronage: How Civil Service Reform Increased Competition in Congressional Elections.” Working Paper.
Nayeli L. Riano
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
BA University of Pennsylvania; MA University of St Andrews
History of political thought; 19th-20th century Latin American political thought; Hispanic and German intellectual influences; Spanish liberal philosophy; Theories of citizenship; Philosophy of History
Cecilia Ritacco
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA Rutgers University
Gender, Identity Politics, Representation, Legislative Studies
Publications
Ritacco, Cecilia. 2022. “Virtual Realities: Intersectional and Online Violence Against Women in the 117th Congress.” Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics.
“Trust in Government and its Implications for Policy Attitudes.” with Nadia E. Brown, Jamil S. Scott, India S. Lenear, Sarah V. Hayes, and Quinn Bornstein (working paper)
“Intersectionality and Violence Against Women in Politics: A Research Agenda.” with Nadia E. Brown, Paru Shah, Liza Mügge, and Myrte Van der Zwet (working paper)
Alexander K. Rodriguez
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, University of Chicago: Political Science with Honors, (2022);
M.Sc, London School of Economics: International Relations (2023)
Research Interests: International Order, Historical International Relations, Imperialism/Colonialism, Great Power Competition, Poststructuralism
Henry Saroyan
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
BA The University of Chicago
History of republican thought; English Civil War; Ancient Greek political thought; International relations theory
John Severini
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
BA Ohio State University; MPA Columbia University
Military Effectiveness, Naval Warfare, Civil-Military Relations
Tomohiro Shibata
Ph.D. Candidate – International Relations
MA The University of Chicago
International relations theory
Daniel Solomon
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Gabriela Schroer do Nascimento
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA Clark University
Howard Tai
Ph.D. Candidate – Political Theory
BA Georgetown University
American liberalism; Immigration; Citizenship; Transnationalism
Mackenzie Taradalsky
Ph.D. Student – American Government
Kenton Thibaut
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
MA John Hopkins University SAIS
China domestic politics; Technology governance; Emerging technologies; Chinese foreign policies.
Paige Thielke
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Emory University: Political Science (2024)
Research Interests: Political Violence and Terrorism, National Security, Human Rights, International Law
Brian Thorn
Ph.D. Candidate – Political Theory
BA University of New Hampshire; MA The University of Chicago
History of political economic thought.
Anushka Vishahan
Ph.D. Student – American Government
BA The College of New Jersey
Ajinkya Mujumdar
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
Ramjas College, University of Delhi;
Research Interests: Political Parties, Political Mobilisation, Election Campaigns
Publications: Mujumdar, A., & Verma, R. (2024). How do political families reproduce power: evidence from Maharashtra, India. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 62(4), 418–445. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2025.2469368
Brad Young
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Penn State University: History, Middle East Studies and Military Studies (2009);
M.S, Naval Postgraduate School: Information Strategy and Political Warfare (2020)
Research Interests: Cyberwarfare; Sociotechnical Systems; Technology Diffusion; Science and Technology Studies (STS)