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Douglas Ansel is pursuing his Ph.D. in peace studies and political science. He earned a B.A. in political science and economics from Mississippi State University, where he wrote an honors thesis examining the growth of democracy in countries emerging from internal armed conflicts. Douglas's research interests include using quantitative social science methods to analyze armed conflict, as well as U.N. peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and post-conflict reconciliation. He is co-authoring an article analyzing how U.N. peace operations after civil wars influence prospects for democracy. He has been awarded a Notre Dame Presidential Fellowship. ansel.1@nd.edu |
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Jessica Brandwein is earning her doctoral degree in peace studies and political science. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2006 with a B.A. in history and mathematics. After college, Jessica worked at the Genocide Intervention Network in Washington, D.C., where she lobbied on behalf of human rights in Darfur. She also has served as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Jessica plans to study the politics of post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation, particularly in Central and East Africa. Specifically, she plans to explore whether nation-building after genocide and civil war provides a basis for theoretical work on post-conflict peacebuilding and nation-building. She has been awarded a Notre Dame Presidential Fellowship. brandwein.2@nd.edu |
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Ryne Clos is pursuing a Ph.D. in peace studies and history. He holds a B.A. in history and religion from Centre College. His senior paper, based on research in Nicaragua, examined the rise of the Sandinista movement and its role in the Nicaraguan revolution. Ryne’s research interests include historical analysis of religious social change movements, including those influenced by liberation theology, in shaping political developments. He plans to study human rights and violent or nonviolent activities of social movements, the causes and instruments of repression, and the evolution of Marxist ideologies, particularly in Latin America. Notre Dame has awarded Ryne a Gaia Fellowship. clos.1@nd.edu |
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Alex Dukalskis is pursuing his doctoral degree in peace studies and political science. He holds a B.A. in politics with minors in philosophy and sociology from Willamette University (2004) and an M.Sc. in human rights from the London School of Economics (2006). His research interests include international politics, transitional justice, oppression, genocide, and war. Alex spent a year on a Fulbright Grant in South Korea, where he worked in a middle school and tutored North Korean defectors. Since 2006, he has been working with the Open Society Institute and the International Debate Education Association, fostering debate and discussion in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. dukalskis.1@nd.edu |
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Alma Gottlieb-McHale is earning her Ph.D. in peace studies and political science. She was born in Tel-Aviv and was raised there and in Morgantown, West Virginia. She holds a master’s degree in comparative politics and international relations from the University of Maryland (2008) and a bachelor's degree in social thought and political economy with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (2004). Since 2004, Alma has worked with local and international organizations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the ADVA Center for Israeli Policy Analysis and the Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel. She has translated and documented Israeli High Court hearings, Knesset discussions, and Israeli Defence Force military trials for Human Rights Watch in Jerusalem and has worked as an educational tour guide for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. gottlieb-mchale.1@nd.edu |
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Ashley Johnson is pursuing a doctoral degree in peace studies and history. She earned a B.A. in peace studies and history from Whitworth University. Her research interests include comparative genocide and ethnic conflict, and she has conducted research in Rwanda on these topics. Ashley’s undergraduate research examined the relationship between religion and violence by analyzing the involvement of Christian denominations in the Rwandan genocide. At Notre Dame, she plans to research the effects of colonialism, land boundaries, and economic disparity on ethnic identity and the progression of ethnic violence in Africa. She plans to compare strategies used to distill ethnic tension and violence following genocide. johnson.550@nd.edu |
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Laura Taylor is pursuing her doctorate in peace studies and psychology. She earned an M.A. in peace and justice studies from the University of San Diego (2005) and B.A. degrees in psychology and Spanish from Haverford College. She was born and raised in Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands. As a senior program officer at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego, Laura worked on the Nepal and Guatemala Projects and Women PeaceMakers Program. Previously, she was project coordinator for an indigenous women's community mental health project in Guatemala. She has research experience and operational knowledge in conflict transformation, mental health, and transitional justice, and has 6 years of field experience in rights-based empowerment with a focus on gender and community reconciliation in Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Nepal. She has authored numerous scholarly publications and has made media appearances on gender inclusion and human rights, and is fluent in Spanish. taylor.184@nd.edu |
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Lenore VanderZee is earning a Ph.D. in peace studies and political science. She holds a bachelor's degree (1998) in interdisciplinary studies from Calvin College and a J.D. (2006) and L.L.M.. in human rights law (2007) from Notre Dame Law School. From 2000-2003, she worked with Palestinian human rights and development organizations and reported for Dubai Television as a journalist in Israel and the West Bank. During law school, she interned at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway and the Middle East and North African unit at the International Center for Transitional Justice in New York. Lenore’s current research includes international law and the use of force and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. She plans to examine environmental protections and resource-sharing mechanisms in peace agreements, as well as environmental cooperation in the midst of ongoing conflict. vanderzee.1@nd.edu |
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Ana Velitchkova is exploring the role of civil society in peacebuilding through her doctoral studies in sociology and peace studies. Most of Ana’s work focuses on social movement networks. Recently, she has addressed questions pertaining to Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and to the United States. Before coming to Notre Dame, Ana completed master's level work in political science, foreign languages, and literatures at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Ana has actively been involved in community work such as a Study Circles-based effort to improve race relations that is organized by the Human Relations Commission of the city of Carbondale, Illinois. She also has worked as a newspaper reporter and community radio host. velitchkova.1@nd.edu |
