PhD Students
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
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
Airidas Banevičius
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
B.A, Paris Sorbonne-University: Philosophy (2019);
M.A, Paris Sorbonne-University: Political Philosophy and Ethics (2021);
M.A, College of Europe: European Interdisciplinary Studies (2023)
Research Interests: Airidas Banevičius is a PhD student in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, specializing in political theory and European integration. His research delves into the political theory underpinnings of the European integration, tracing its Enlightenment origins as well as focusing on the competition of economic and social ideas in the 20th century. Additionally, Airidas is interested in environmental justice and Baltic studies. Prior to his doctoral studies, Airidas completed a Blue Book traineeship at the European Commission and gained professional experience working at the Lithuanian and French ministries of foreign affairs.
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: Narrative warfare and influence operations in cyberspace; Cyber warfare and international law; Internet governance; Data and privacy regulation
Cecilia Ritacco
Ph.D. Student – American Government
B.A, Rutgers University
Research Interests: Gender, Political Parties, Representation, State Politics
Publications: Ritacco, Cecilia. 2022. “Virtual Realities: Intersectional and Online Violence Against Women in the 117th Congress.” Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics.
Claire Hazbun
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
B.S, Georgetown University (2020);
Research Interests: Political violence; identity and ethnicity; state fragility; democracy and elections; African politics
Erykah Pasha
Ph.D. Student – American Government
B.A, Syracuse University: Political Science and Sociology (2024);
Research Interests: Black politics, Deviant Politics, Organizing, Interest Groups and Social Movements
Publications: Kandis, B., Elise, H., Emma, M. Arianna, M., Erykah, P., Rebecca, L., Tiffany, L., Bethany, S., Cathy, B., Christine, K. Under Review. Barriers and Facilitators to Integrating PrEP into Women’s Health Clinical Service in the United States.
Dwidar, M. A., E. Pasha, K. Marchetti. Gender and Lobbying. In The Oxford Handbook of Lobbying and Its Regulation. Oxford University Press.
Hashem Krayem
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.Sc, University of Munich (LMU);
M.P.P, Hertie School of Governance
International Political Economy, Underdevelopment and Dependency, affiliated with the Lab for Globalization and Shared Prosperity.
John Severini
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Ohio State University;
M.P.A, Columbia University: Military Effectiveness, Naval Warfare, Civil-Military Relations
Keeheon Lee
Ph.D. Student – Comparative Government
University of California, Los Angeles (2020);
Research Interests: International and Comparative Political Economy; The Politics of Climate Change; Firms; Regulations; Private Governance; Southeast Asia
Kenton Thibaut
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Louisiana State University;
M.A, Johns Hopkins University SAIS
Research Interests: Icross-border data policy, data governance, data security, Chinese technology policy, AI development, diffusion, and governance in China, comparative EU-China-US cross-border data governance policy
Publications: “What DeepSeek’s breakthrough says (and doesn’t say) about the ‘AI race’ with China. ” Atlantic Council, January 28, 2025.
“The Need for Tech Regulation Beyond U.S.-China Rivalry .” Lawfare, January 24, 2025.
“Effective US Government Strategies to Address China’s Information Influence.” Atlantic Council, July 30, 2024.
“The Sovereignty Trap: How the Promise of Sovereign AI Obscures Its Pitfalls.” Atlantic Council, July 17, 2024.
“Can China Swing Taiwan’s Elections?” Foreign Affairs, January 12, 2024
“Repressive Technologies and Ethnic Policy in China: The Case of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia.”Sinosphere. Spring 2021
“China’s Discourse Power Operations in the Global South: An overview of Chinese influence operations in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.” Atlantic Council. April 20, 2022
“Chinese Discourse Power: Ambitions and Reality in the Digital Domain.”Atlantic Council. August 24, 2022
Magda Smith
Ph.D. Student – American Government
B.A, Cornell University: Majors in Government, Philosophy, and Robert S. Harrison College Scholar Program, magna cum laude (2024);
Research Interests: American Politics; Political Polarization; Political Theory; Political Ideology and Meaning
Manon Fortemps
Ph.D. Student – International Relations
B.A, Sciences Po Strasbourg: Political Science (2019);
M.A, Sciences Po Paris: Economics and Public Policy (2022)
Research Interests: International Political Economy, Economic Statecraft, The Politics of Foreign Aid
Matthew David Hamilton
Ph.D. Student – Political Theory
B.A, Moody Bible Institute – Pastoral Ministry (2012);
M.A, Princeton Theological Seminary – Theological Studies (2018)
Research Interests: Global Justice; Normative Political Theory; International Relations Theory; Self-Determination; Nationalism
Publications: Hamilton, Matthew David. “Digital Domination: A Case for Republican Liberty in Artificial Intelligence.” In Oxford Intersections: AI in Society, edited by Philipp Hacker. Oxford University Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780198945215.003.0087.
Hamilton, Matthew David, and Mark Fisher. 2024. “Opening the Thucydides Trap: A Genealogy of Rise-and-Fall Theory.” International Affairs 100 (3): 1189–1206.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae082.
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
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.
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