Our Team
The team draws predominantly but not exclusively from Emory, the University of New Mexico and the University of Washington. Lab members are added to the website when they participate in the lab for one year. We are not accepting any more research assistant applications for the Fall 2022 semester.
Check out our lab alumni!
Lab Leadership
Emily Gade, Ph.D.
Lab Founder and Co-Director
Emily is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Emory University. Her research focuses on the causes, nature, and outcomes of political violence, insecurity of minority groups, state repression, and forms of resistance. Read more about Emily’s work here!
Sarah K. Dreier, Ph.D.
Lab Co-Director
Sarah is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of New Mexico. 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!
India is a senior at Emory University majoring in Political Science and minoring Environmental Science. She first joined the O/R lab during her junior year in the Spring of 2021. Since then, India has worked on the Northern Ireland project. Her academic interests include, civil and human rights, environmental justice, and voting rights. Outside of Emory, India works at Lawrence & Bundy LLC as a law intern. For fun, India enjoys drawing, playing the piano, and spending time with her pets!
Postdoctoral Researchers
Graduate Student Researchers
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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!
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Brian Leugn
Find Brian on Twitter here!
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Marcella Morris
Marcella is a Ph.D. Candidate at Emory University. She 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.
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Arica Schuett
Arica is a second 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.
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Chonlawit Sirikupt
Chonlawit (Will) Sirikupt is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Tübingen in Germany where he studies the use of the Internet and digital information technology by authoritarian regimes. He obtained his undergraduate degree in International Studies at the University of Washington in Seattle and holds an MA from the University of Tübingen in Comparative & Middle East Politics and Society. In addition to his research interests that revolve around digital authoritarianism, insurgencies, and politics in the Middle East and North Africa region, he is also an avid consumer of historical fiction, Lofi study music, and funny socks.
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Burak Yilmaz
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Jiwon Kim
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Shreya Pabbaraju
Shreya (21C) is from Duluth, Ga. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Development Studies at Oxford University, UK. She studied political science, English, and creative writing at Emory College of Arts and Sciences. At Emory, she was 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.
Undergraduate Researchers
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Ben Lefkowitz
Ben is a senior 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 is continuing his studies as a Center for Law and Social Sciences Research Fellow for Professor Gade.
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Sidratul Muntaha
Sidratul is currently a senior 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!
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Leah Bader
Leah is an undergraduate from Atlanta, GA at Emory University, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Arabic. She 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.
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Gabe Samuels
Gabe is a fourth-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!
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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.
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Sara Weitz
Sara Weitz is from Los Angeles, California. She is a Senior studying Political Science and English at Emory and joined the lab in the Spring of her Junior year. Outside of the lab, she has worked as an immigration law intern at the Latin American Association, a case clerk at a law firm in LA, and as a camp counselor at a beach camp.
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Ali Barlow
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Madeline Bryce
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Ellen Harnisch
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Courtney Norteman
Courtney is a senior at Emory majoring in International Studies. Her research interests include technology, security, and human rights. She has been fortunate enough to focus on these subjects both as an intern at the Paulson Institute, and in her work as a Research Assistant both at the O/R Lab and Emory’s MESAS Department. Outside of classes and work, Courtney loves scuba diving, running, art, and seeing her friends’ dogs.
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Karina Nehra
Karina Nehra is a third-year undergraduate student at Emory University double majoring in International Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her interests include human rights, international institutions, and gender issues. She has previously interned with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as a refugee resettlement intern and with the Pakistan-based education advocacy nonprofit Khud on their women’s rights project. Outside of academics, she currently is one of the publicity chairs for the South Asian Women’s Collective (SAWC) on campus. Her favorite activities include reading, riding horses, and playing with her dog Max
Lab Alumni
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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.
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Bernadette Bresee
Bernadette is a recent graduate from the University of Washington, where she majored in Political Science and minored in Law, Currently, Bernadette is a paralegal at a Seattle law firm. 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.
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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. Willa currently works for Global Insight. 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.
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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.
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Connor Clerkin
Connor is a recent graduate of at Emory University from San Jose, California. Connor currently works at McKinsey & Company. 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 served as the men's captain of the Emory Crew team and enjoys playing the guitar and watching stand-up comedy on Netflix.
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Sarah Duggan
Sarah is a recent graduate of Emory University, and studied Quantitative Science with a concentration in Sociology. Sarah is working as a public defender’s office in Brooklyn. 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 was currently a Human Rights Intern at the Southern Center for Human Rights.
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Oliver Hicklin-Coorey
Oliver is from Washington DC and is a senior at Emory double majoring in economics and political science. His academic interests include macroeconomic policy and the economic links to contemporary political issues as well as international affairs. He is currently a writer for the Emory Economics Review. In the lab he has contributed to the Rebel Consolidation project, looking at the Sri Lankan Civil War. He has also been a research assistant studying the intersection between colonialism and the rule of law in Africa. He served as an intern with Public Citizen in summer 2020 where he was involved in research and advocacy for the “Democracy is for People” Campaign. He is an Eagle Scout, enjoys travel, and is a keen soccer fan.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Tara Farkouh