PhD Students and Candidates, 2024-25

Kwame Ababio (he/him/his)
MSc, Environmental Governance, University of Freiburg, Germany
BSc, Development Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; International Business
Dissertation Title: Optimizing Carbon Markets in Africa: Bridging Theoretical Potential and Practical Implementation
kwame.ababio@tufts.edu

Maggie Adomako
MGA, University of Notre Dame 
BA, French & Linguistics, University of Ghana
Fields of Study: Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs; Global Governance and International Organizations
margaret.adomako@tufts.edu

Zviad Adzinbaia 
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA (Honors), Political Science, Sokhumi State University in Tbilisi 
Fields of Study: International Security; Euro-Atlantic Affairs
Dissertation Title: Fighting the War of Tomorrow: Gaining Advantage in the Fog of Disinformation
zviad.adzinbaia@tufts.edu 

Lima Ahmad (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, Women and Gender Studies, International Relations, Bucknell University
Dissertation Title: Afghan Youth, Violence and Resilience: A Multi-Method Study of the War-Affected Generations in Afghanistan
lima.ahmad@tufts.edu

Michael D. Anderson (he/him/his)
MA, International Relations, Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, Serbia
BS, Electrical and Computer Engineering, United States Military Academy
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
Dissertation Title: Narrative Warfare and Securitizing Contested Spaces
michael.anderson671492@tufts.edu

Dipali Anumol (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
MSc, International Relations (Research), London School of Economics and Political Science Integrated MA, Development Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Fields of Study: Gender and Intersectional Analysis; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
Dissertation Title: Sustaining Movements, Sustaining Selves: Practices of Care, Feminist Activism and Responses to Sexual Violence in India
dipali.anumol@tufts.edu

Joey Ching Aracena (she/her/hers)
MA, lnternational Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
BS, Political Science, United States Air Force Academy
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
joey.ching@tufts.edu

Emma Bixler (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Relations and Communication, SUNY Geneseo
Fields of Study: Gender and Intersectional Analysis; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
emma.bixler@tufts.edu

Viking Bohman  (he/him/his)
MSc (double degree), International Affairs, London School of Economics (LSE) and Peking University
BSc, Political Science, Swedish Defence University
Fields of Study: Comparative and Regional Studies; Economic Statecraft
viking.bohman@tufts.edu

Karst K. Brandsma (he/him/his)
MMAS, School of Advanced Military Studies, Ft. Leavenworth, KS
MPM, Georgetown University 
MA, Webster University 
BA, Gonzaga University
Fields of Study: International Security Studies; Political Systems and Theory
Dissertation Title: With Friends Like These: An Examination of Burden Sharing and Military Coalition Defection
karst.brandsma@tufts.edu

Ravi Shankar Chaturvedi (he/him/his)
MIB, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
MBA, Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines & Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
BA, Sociology and Public Administration, Osmania University
Fields of Study: International Business; Technology and International Affairs
Dissertation Title: Estonia’s e-Residency Experiment: An Investigation into the Drivers of Success and Conditions for Scalability and Replicability
ravi.chaturvedi@tufts.edu

Kate Hua-Ke Chi (she/her/hers)
MA, Economics, Boston University
BBA, Business Administration and Economics, The George Washington University
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; Political Economy
kate.chi@tufts.edu

Nicholas Helldorfer Cicchinelli (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Relations and Russian Studies, Wheaton College, Massachusetts
Fields of Study: Gender and Intersectional Analysis; Public International Law
Dissertation Title: Illegible Identities, Institutional Protection Gaps, and Invisible Harms: Examining the Effects of U.S. Refugee Status Determination Processes on Protection Outcomes for Sexual and Gender Minority Refugees and Asylum-Seekers
nicholas.helldorfer_cicchinelli@tufts.edu

Zheng Cui (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Affairs, The George Washington University
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; Technology and International Affairs
Zheng.Cui@tufts.edu

Amanda Current (she/her/hers)
MSSI, National Intelligence University
BS, Psychology, Truman State University
Fields of Study: International Security; Political Systems and Theories
Dissertation Title: Bridging the Theory-Practice Gap in the Cyber Domain: Assessing Alignment from Theory Application to Strategy Implementation
amanda.current@tufts.edu

Danielle Demers (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, Mount Holyoke College
Fields of Study: Human Security; Gender and Intersectional Analysis
Dissertation Title: An Intersectional Analysis of Syria’s Captagon Economy
danielle.demers@tufts.edu

Amaia Elorza Arregi (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
JD, Complutense University of Madrid
BSc, Politics & International Relations, London School of Economics
Fields of Study: International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; Gender and Intersectional Analysis
Dissertation Title: Transnational Solidarity Movements as Mechanisms of Political Transformation in Protracted Asymmetric Conflicts
amaia.elorza_arregi@tufts.edu

Tarun Gopalakrishnan (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA/LLB (Honors), NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, India
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; International Organizations 
tarun.gopalakrishnan@tufts.edu

Stuart A. Green 
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University 
MS, Strategic Intelligence, National Intelligence University 
BA, History, Boston University
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies 
stuart.green@tufts.edu 

Brendan Hales (he/him/his)
MS, Defense and Strategic Studies, Missouri State University
BA, Philosophy, Brigham Young University
Fields of Study: International Security; Technology and International Affairs
brendan.hales@tufts.edu

Kenneth J. Hills (he/him/his)
MS, Strategic Studies (Grand Strategy concentration), Air War College
MS, Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College
MS, Military Operational Art & Science, Air Command & Staff College
MS, International Relations (Regional Affairs concentration), Troy University
MS, Aeronautical Science (Space Studies concentration), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
BA, Physics, Boston University
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
kenneth.hills@tufts.edu

Siddharth Jain (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
LLB, National Law University, Raipur
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy
siddharth.jain@tufts.edu

Thaenpaavai Kannan (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Relations, Mount Holyoke College
Fields of Study: Human Security; Humanitarian Affairs
tkanna01@tufts.edu

Ryan R. Kroells (he/him/his)
MA, International Relations, Oklahoma University
MMAS, Strategy and Operational Art, U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies
BA, Global Studies, University of Minnesota
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
Dissertation Title: The Unreliable Suprapower: Collective Defense and the Limits of Cooperation
ryan.kroells@tufts.edu

Emily Lagarile (she/her/hers)
MA, English, Emporia State University
BS, Systems Engineering, United States Air Force Academy
Fields of Study: International Security; Technology and International Affairs
emily.lagarile@tufts.edu

Marina Lazetic (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, Human Rights and Sociology, Bard College
Fields of Study: Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs; International Security
Dissertation Title: “Migration Crisis” and Civil Society Response: A Study of the EU and the US Borderlands
marina.lazetic@tufts.edu

Lilly Min-Chen Lee (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
MA, International Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan
BS, Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Fields of Study: International Security; Technology and International Affairs
min-chen.lee@tufts.edu

Scott D. McDonald
MA, National Security Affairs, The Naval Postgraduate School
BA, International Affairs, The George Washington University
Fields of Study: Political Systems and Theories; International Security
Dissertation Title: The Potential of Hierarchy: The Impact of Classical Chinese Philosophy on the Taiwan Policy of the People’s Republic of China
scott.mcdonald@tufts.edu

Jared Miller (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Relations, College of William and Mary
Fields of Study: Comparative and Regional Studies; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
Dissertation Title: Peacebuilders, Politicians, and Brokers: The Politics of Transforming Conflict and Power in Nigeria
jared.miller@tufts.edu

Ben Naimark-Rowse (he/him/his)
MPA, Princeton School for Public and International Affairs
BA with honors, International Studies, University of Chicago
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
Dissertation Title: Dollars and Dissent: Donor Support for Grassroots Organizing and Nonviolent Movements
benjamin.naimarkrowse@tufts.edu

Soyoung Oh (she/her/hers)
MIA, Baruch College, City University of New York
BBA, Business Administration, Dongguk University
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; Development Economics
soyoung.oh@tufts.edu

Diana Park (she/her/hers)
MPP, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
MA, Cybersecurity Technology, University of Maryland Global Campus
BS, Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Fields of Study: International Security; Pacific Asia
Dissertation Title: Non-violent Civil Resistance in Authoritarian Cyberspace Environments
dayea.park@tufts.edu

Megan Zella Rounseville (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, Economics, Denison University
Fields of Study: Development Economics; Econometric Impact Evaluation
Dissertation Title: Encouraging Behavior Change for Improved Well-being: Three Field Experiments
megan.rounseville@tufts.edu

Emily Ruhm (she/her/hers)
MPP, International Development and Policy, College of William and Mary
BA, Public Policy, College of William and Mary
Fields of Study: Gender and Intersectional Analysis; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
emily.ruhm@tufts.edu

Gary J. Sampson (he/him/his)
MSS, Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies, National Sun Yat-sen University
MSSI, College of Strategic Intelligence, National Intelligence University
BS, Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
Dissertation Title: “Arming to Threaten the Peace”: Enduring PRC-DPRK Ties, Chinese Alliance Management, and Why North Korea Became the First “Axis of Evil” State with the Bomb
gary.sampson@tufts.edu

Aditya Sarkar (he/him/his)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA LLB (Hons), National Law School of India University, Bangalore
Fields of Study: Comparative and Regional Studies; Migration
Dissertation Title:  Politics After the “End of Work”: Rights Claims by “Surplus” Populations and the Negotiation of Political Authority in Small-Town India
aditya.sarkar@tufts.edu

Iris (Risa) Sobchak (she/her)
MAIR, Pardee School, Boston University
MA, History, Pennsylvania State University
BA, International and Strategic History, United States Military Academy
Fields of Study: International Security; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
Dissertation Title: Too Big to Fail: The Large Project Policy Failures of Nation Building in Iraq
iris.sobchak@tufts.edu

Kyle Stilwell (he/him/his)
MA, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Advanced Military Studies Program
MA, Columbia University, Teachers College, Organizational Psychology and Leadership
BS, Political Science, United States Military Academy
Fields of Study: International Security Technology; International Affairs
Dissertation Title: Bombs, Bits, and Bots: AI Enabled Strategy Formulation for the Future of Warfare
kyle.stilwell@tufts.edu

Bethany Tietjen (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Studies and German Studies, American University
Fields of Study: International Development and Environmental Policy; Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs
bethany.tietjen@tufts.edu

Antti Toivanen (he/him/his)
MA, University of Turku
MSS, University of Helsinki
Fields of Study: Human Security and Humanitarian Affairs; Comparative and Regional Studies
Dissertation Title: Safe Havens, Indifferent Hosts, Independent Decision Makers: A Comparative Study on the Role of the Cities and the Civil Society During the European Refugee Crisis 2015-2017
antti.toivanen@tufts.edu 

James Vansandt
MA, Political Science, Université Catholique de Louvain
BA, History, Freed Hardeman University
Fields of Study: International Security; Comparative and Regional Studies
james.vansandt@tufts.edu

Andrea M. Walther-Puri (she/her/hers)
MALD, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
BA, International Relations, Tufts University
Fields of Study: International Security; African Studies
Dissertation Title: Measuring the Effectiveness of U.S. Counterterrorism Assistance in the Sahel
andrea.walther@tufts.edu

Ryan Young (he/him/his)
MBA, The Kelley School, Indiana University
BS, Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University
Fields of Study: International Security; International Legal Studies
Dissertation Title: Civil-AI Relations: Understanding Opportunity & Risk in AI-Enhanced Governance
ryan.young@tufts.edu