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NextGen Fellows’ Progress on Research Projects

Dec 14, 2015 |

As a major component of the Strauss Center’s inaugural Brumley Next Generation Fellows program, our ten graduate student fellows are well underway with their year-long research projects. Each student is paired with a Strauss Center Distinguished Scholar for guidance and support in carrying out their own research product, with the goal of completing their project by the end of the spring semester. Below are brief updates on the progression of each Fellow’s research thus far.

Jillian Ames is working with Associate Professor Josh Busby to conduct a spatial analysis project using software ArcMap 10.1 in order to investigate the geographic distribution of poached elephant carcasses across the African continent. This project will serve as an introduction into wildlife conservation for Jillian, as she is exploring the possibility of pursuing a PhD that examines human dimensions of wildlife.

Christine Bonthius is writing a research paper under the guidance of Assistant Professor Josh Eisenman that compares Brazilian and Chinese policies concerning renewable energy policy, and specifically those that discuss climate change objectives and economic growth. Christine plans to discuss how similarities and differences in their policies impact their individual renewable energy capacities, and how their situations might drive them to collaborate in achieving their energy goals.

Sophia Golvach is working with Strauss Center Director and UT Law School Professor Bobby Chesney to research the rules of targeting and civilian treatment in modern warfare and to attempt to find areas of linkage and disconnect between modern international humanitarian law and Islamic laws of armed conflict. Sophia plans to provide a comprehensive examination of these topics where none currently exists and suggestions aimed at tightening cooperation and understanding between Muslim-majority countries and the United States, especially during wartime.

Aroob Iqbal is currently researching, under the guidance of Strauss Center Associate Director Ashley Moran, how local government structures in Uganda operate and what opportunities and threats are present in the current system. Aroob then plans to compare her research to constitutional law in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh with respect to local government institutions, and produce a comprehensive paper to discuss her findings.

Jeanne Kaba is working with Strauss Center Associate Director Ashley Moran to research Turkey’s nuclear development, with the goal of delivering a holistic dataset corresponding to the public discourse regarding nuclear energy development in Turkey and the resulting implications for Turkey’s international relations. Jeanne also plans to analyze the data in order to identify trends and patterns associated with the political dimension of nuclear development, as usefulness of the data for policymaking purposes.

Kyosuke Kikuta is researching the effect of civil war on deforestation under the guidance of Associate Professor Josh Busby. Kyosuke’s goal for the research is to provide a general framework that unites the explanations in the different fields and thus provides a common language for the problem.

Eric Manpearl is working with Intelligence Studies Project Director Steve Slick on a two-fold research project. The first is to study the role of intelligence issues in presidential elections. Eric’s research chronologically discusses the role intelligence issues have played in presidential elections historically and the role of intelligence in the current presidential campaigns. Secondly, Eric is analyzing Presidential Policy Directive 28 to make recommendations on the next President’s actions regarding the universal privacy interests the document recognizes.

Ashay Rane is working with Strauss Center Director and UT Law Professor Bobby Chesney to research the advantages, tradeoffs, nuances, and policy implications of counter-attacks in cyberspace, also know as “hacking back”. Ashay plans to explore the idea of establishing globally-accepted policies and norms on hacking back and on counter-attacks in cybersecurity.

Jodi Rosenstein is currently researching the integration across the U.S. government in counterterrorism operations under the guidance of CIA Officer-In-Residence Paul Pope. Jodi’s research paper will focus on the nature of the threat, the state of interagency cooperation, and how the U.S. might look to evolve in terms of organizational authorities and responsibilities.

Sam Tabory is researching with Professor Paula Newberg what elements of Karachi’s unofficial governance arrangements give the most cause for concern with respect to the ability of such arrangements to exert destabilizing and/or otherwise destructive influence as Karachi encounters the effects of climate change. Sam is planning a Brumley-sponsored trip to Pakistan in the spring in order to conduct fieldwork on his research project.

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