Lab Leadership
Sarah K. Dreier, Ph.D. — Lab co-Director
Sarah is an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow (Political Science and Computer Science and Engineering) and a Data Science Postdoctoral Fellow (eScience Institute) at the University of Washington. Her research examines the intersection between religion, state power, and human rights. Trained as a comparative and socio-legal political scientist, she collaborates with computer scientists to integrate qualitative and computational text analysis. Read more about Sarah’s work here!
Ava recently graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science. Although she studied domestic policy, Ava equally enjoys the subjects of rebel governance and foreign policy in the Middle East.
Ava is curious about uncovering government and legitimacy-building tactics in this case study, including the use of the social media as a tool. Ava enjoys progressive and grassroots activism, organizing, campaigning, and speechmaking. She also assists her former high school competitive debate team! She hopes to receive a Ph.D. in Political Science and run for public office in the future. Whether she wants to add a JD to these lifelong dreams is still up in the air since college ain't free -- but hopefully that will change one day!
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dani Villa
Dr. Villa completed her Ph.D. at Emory University and is now a research scientist at ACLED Conflict Data Program. Dani still co-leads the Northern Ireland team! Her research interests include peacekeeping, violence against civilians, repression, civil war dynamics, and more. She is particularly interested in the relationship between peacekeepers and political actors, and how their interactions shape the nature of the conflict and post-conflict settings in which peacekeepers operate. Read more about Dani’s work here!
Ph.D. Researchers
Bree Bang-Jensen
Bree Bang-Jensen is a Ph.D Candidate at the University of Washington where she studies the factors that lead to deviations in cooperation.
In her free time, she enjoys being outside, learning about early human history, and reading contemporary fiction. Find Bree on Twitter here!
Brian Leugn, Ph.D. student
Find Brian on Twitter here!
Marcella Morris
Marcella studies conflict and post-conflict institution-building with a particular focus on how transitions are provided for in peace agreements. Originally from Maryland, her undergraduate degree is from the University of Maryland in Government and Politics and she holds a Master's Degree from George Mason University's School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Before coming to Emory she worked at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism on the Education Team.
Jess Jones, Ph.C.
Read more about Jess and her research here!
Chonlawit Sirikupt
Arica Schuett
Arica is a first year student in Emory Political Science PhD program where she intends to study comparative politics and political communication. Arica’s research interest are centered around culture, politics, and social systems. She received her undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Washington with minors in French and international studies.
Megan Erickson
Postbac Researchers
Ramin Farrokhi
Ramin is a current employee of Telsa Government and a recent graduate from the University of Washington where he specialized in international security while pursuing his Political Science degree and History of War & Society minor. Beginning in September, he has spent the majority of his time on the project coding militant claims, alongside frequent forays into researching the impact that airstrikes have had on the conflict. He also works on another O/R Lab project, coding British situation reports from The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Outside of spending inordinate amounts of time on Google Sheets, Ramin enjoys reading about 20th-century history and watching Alfred Hitchcock movies whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Samantha Vasquez
Samantha is from Los Angeles, Ca. She is a double major in Political Science and Sociology with a minor in Environmental Science Studies at Mount St. Mary's University. She has researched the links between healthcare, the environment, and political independence in international rural communities. In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading, sewing, exercise, and spending time outdoors.
Bernadette Bresee
Bernadette is a recent graduate from the University of Washington, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Law, Societies, and Justice. She takes particular interest in how socio-economics, culture, and race relations influence domestic as well as foreign policy. She is currently focusing on airstrike campaigns in Syria, and joined this project as of September 2019. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, reading, and watching TV shows which should have been cancelled years ago.
Shreya Pabbaraju (Lead coder, Northern Ireland)
Shreya (21C) is from Duluth, Ga., she is double majoring in political science and English and creative writing at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. She is a Halle Undergraduate Global Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Exploration and Scholarship (IDEAS) Fellow and Teacher’s Assistant, and Center for Law and Social Sciences Fellow. Her previous research experience includes a project on violence against women as a through the Institute of Human Rights, and she currently serves as the Human Rights intern for the Carter Center.
Willa Jeffers
Willa Jeffers is a recent graduate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington with a focus in Political Economy. As an undergraduate she has assisted research projects focused on Environmental Politics, Racial Heuristics and Voting Trend in the U.S., Foreign Policy on International Human Rights, and Conflict Dynamics in the Syrian Civil War. Her own research interests are centered in Security Studies, Economics, and Environmental Governance. Willa also enjoys participating in local activism, community building, and has worked for several congressional campaigns.
Connor Clerkin
Connor is a senior at Emory University from San Jose, California. He is double majoring in International Relations and Economics with an interest in conflict and security studies. He has previously interned at the Carter Center in the Rule of Law program and at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Outside of academics, he is the men's captain of the Emory Crew team, enjoys playing the guitar and watching stand-up comedy on Netflix.
Sarah Duggan
Sarah is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Emory University, studying Quantitative Science with a concentration in Sociology. She joined the O/R lab as a Center for Law and Social Science Research Fellow in September 2020. As an undergraduate, Sarah's internship experiences have focused on voting access and criminal legal reform in Georgia. She is currently a Human Rights Intern at the Southern Center for Human Rights.
Undergraduate Researchers
Emily Thomas
Emily is a rising senior at Emory University, where she is majoring in political science. Her interests include human rights, environmental politics, and the criminal justice system. She has previously worked as an intern for Caroline Simmons, a State Representative of Connecticut's 144th district, and as a volunteer coordinator for sustainable development projects in South Africa. In her free time, Emily enjoys singing, visual arts, and creative writing.
Gabe Samuels
Gabe is a third-year undergraduate student at Emory, double majoring in International Studies and Environmental Sciences. His interests include public policy, human rights, and community building. He previously interned with Baltimore City’s Department of Planning and served as a Community Building and Social Change Fellow, where he conducted research on affordable housing in Atlanta’s Buford Highway corridor. Outside of classes he is a Resident Advisor, Outdoor Emory Trip Leader, and a radio host for WMRE, Emory’s college radio station. He loves crossword puzzles, the Baltimore Ravens, and food trucks, and is currently trying to plan the perfect backpacking trip!
Leah Bader
Leah is from Atlanta, GA. Leah is an undergraduate at Emory majoring in Political Science and minoring in Arabic and has an enthusiasm for Semitic languages. Leah joined the lab through the SIRE program (Scholarly Inquiry and Research Experience) and has worked on the Syrian Airstrikes project. Her research interests involve the interplay between religious/ethnic identity and political policy. Outside of the lab, she is an undergraduate intern at the Institute for the Study of Modern Israel at Emory, a member of Emory Student Ambassadors, and a Resident Advisor. Leah enjoys taking herself on walks, watching Gilmore Girls, and hanging out with her four younger siblings.
Ben Lefkowitz
Ben is a Junior in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences majoring in International Studies. Ben’s studies have focused on security and conflict in the Middle East after a gap year in Israel proceeding his studies at Emory and has had opportunities to learn both Hebrew and Arabic as well. He looks forward to continuing his studies as a CLSS Fellow for Professor Gade in the upcoming year!
Kayla Salehian
Kayla Salehian is a second-year undergraduate student at Emory University, studying political science, international relations, and psychology. She joined the O/R lab her freshman year, in January 2020, and has continued as a Center for Law and Social Science Research Fellow. Kayla has previously worked as a policy and law intern at the Guinn Center for Public Policy Priorities and in the Eighth Judicial District Court, Department III in Las Vegas, Nevada. Outside of academics, Kayla is a teaching assistant for an introductory statistics course, a trip coordinator for Outdoor Emory, and works in Emory’s Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions office.
Oliver Hicklin-Coorey
Sidratul Muntaha
Sidratul is currently a junior at Emory majoring in Political Science (International) and minoring in Middle Eastern Studies. Her academic and research interests include human rights, racial justice, international conflict and peacekeeping. She has previously worked for the Ossoff-Warnock campaign with the Asian American Advocacy Fund PAC. She joined the O/R lab as a CLSS Fellow in Spring 2021 and will continue as a part of the Rebel Consolidation team in the upcoming year as well!
Isha Soni
Isha is from Nashville, TN. She is double majoring in international studies and interdisciplinary studies. She joined the lab through the SIRE program (Scholarly Inquiry and Research Experience) and has been working on the Northern Ireland project. She is currently a Halle Fellow, and her research interests lie at the intersection of human rights, especially education, and conflict. She enjoys reading fiction, spending time with animals, and spending time outside.
India Wrede
Sara Weitz
Past Members
Patrick Pierson
Patrick Pierson is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Emory University. His academic work focuses on the political economy of conflict, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between electoral violence and development in new and emerging democracies.
Calum Bryant
Calum is currently a Sophomore at the University of Washington, studying Political Science with a focus on international security. He is especially interested in studying the political apparatuses of separatist movements in order to better understand the factors in determining their success. Outside of academia, he enjoys cooking, playing sports, and spending time with friends.
Lara Gemar
Lara is a junior at Emory University, double majoring in Public Policy Analysis and Political Science. She currently serves as a coder for the team, mainly dealing with claims from 2016-2018. Outside of the project, she is especially passionate about issues related to human rights and human trafficking. She is currently outlining plans for her senior honors thesis, which will be focused on the ways in which domestic sex trafficking has changed since FOSTA-SESTA was enacted in April 2018. Beyond academics, Lara is a long-term competitive swimmer, NCAA team member, and rising captain of the Emory University swim team. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with Special Olympics and cooking up healthy recipes for her friends to try!
Malachi Chukwu
Malachi is originally from Nigeria but living in Spokane, Washington. He is a double major in International Affairs, with an emphasis on Global Security Processes Concentration and Political Science, with a minor in Economics at Eastern Washington University Cheney. His research compares the relationship between prior and current economic development models that are being implemented in various developing countries. He is also interested in studying how infrastructural technology impacts a population at different scales. Malachi enjoys playing and watching soccer. He also enjoys the outdoors, photography, and bicycling in his free time.