Mayela Arbona-Montero, Student Research Assistant
Mayela is a native of Queretaro, Mexico. She completed her undergraduate degree in Integrated Social Sciences from Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, where she had the unique opportunity to live and study with students from over 100 countries. While a student, she interned at the Embassy of Mexico in Berlin, and post-graduation interned at Pemex, the Mexican state-owned oil company. Mayela decided to enroll at the Korbel School to develop her theoretical and practical understanding of world politics, and hopes to enter the Mexican Foreign Service upon her completion of the degree program.

Rebecca Bell-Martin, Student Research Assistant
Rebecca Bell Martin studies Comparative Politics with special interests in Latin American studies, political violence, transnational organized crime, and the cultural manifestations of power and violence. Her current research includes the sociocultural power of transnational criminal organizations in Mexico and TCO's use of extra-lethal violence. Recently, Rebecca was awarded the Harold W. Rosenthal Fellowship, through which she served in the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense. As a Mexico specialist, Rebecca advised senior defense leaders on Mexican affairs and security challenges and informed U.S. defense strategy and policy goals during a critical time in the U.S. - Mexico relationship. Rebecca earned her B.A. with honors from Whittier College where she triple-majored in Political Science, Cultural Anthropology, and Spanish Language. This fall, Rebecca begins Ph.D. work at Brown University.

Aly Buff, Student Research Assistant
Aly is an MA candidate in International Security, pursuing a certificate in Homeland Security. In 2012 she earned her Bachelor's Degree from Florida State University, with a double major in International Affairs and Political Science, and a concentration in Geography. While attending FSU, Aly spent a semester in London studying political violence and ethnic conflict, inspiring her to pursue a Master's Degree. Her areas of interest include intelligence analysis, GIS, and homegrown terrorism. In the summer of 2011, Aly led a U.S. delegation to France for an international peace education program, where there were participants from over 15 nations. In her free time, Aly enjoys hiking, traveling, snowboarding, and playing ultimate frisbee.

Fletcher D. Cox, Research Fellow
Korbel School of International Studies with concentrations in Comparative Politics and International Political Economy. His current research interests include politics of development policy, domestic-international interactions in post-conflict reconstruction, and religion and social cohesion in deeply-divided societies. Fletcher has six years of professional experience managing relief, recovery, and economic development programs in Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, and Haiti. This work has included designing, implementing, and evaluating multi-sectoral programs, with representation and liaison experience with government bodies, U.N. agencies, international donors, military personnel, and NGOs in disaster and post-conflict settings. He has studied international affairs, politics, economics, and religion at William Jewell College (BA), Georgetown University, and Harvard University (MTS).

Bryan Cramer, Student Research Assistant
Pursuing a Masters in International Studies with a concentration in security studies at Korbel, Bryan attended the University of Redlands and earned a BA in International Relations. Prior to Korbel, Bryan served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia. There he did a variety of projects including helping a local health center create a computerized patient database and training several HIV positive women how to build and grow their own sustainable vegetable gardens. In International Relations, Bryan is interested in diplomacy and its uses in security, international crises, and solving conflicts. Outside of school Bryan enjoys listening to music, reading, swimming, watching and following football (both US and European), travelling, and drinking a nice glass of pinot noir.

Joel Day, Research Fellow
Pursuing a Ph.D. in International Studies, Joel is interested in religious violence and resistance movements, specifically how understandings of afterlife identity influence narratives of conflict and in-group/out-group dynamics. The dissertation project asks questions about how transcendental reality narratives influence the duration, intensity and termination rate of conflict. Joel has several of publications on these topics, including in the Journal of Strategic Security and the Ottowa Journal of International and Public Policy. He is also a three-time national college debate champion and a recipient of the National Security Act Scholarship. Outside of academia, Joel has worked with an international nonprofit, two California Assemblymembers, the County of San Diego, served as a foreign policy advisor to US Congressional campaigns, and was Iowa Operations Director for a US Presidential Campaign. Joel holds a Masters degree in International Relations from the University of San Diego, and a B.A. in Political Science from Point Loma Nazarene University. Joel is married to Lauren Ries and lives in Denver with cats, Pigeon and Derrida, and dog, Scout.

Brian Ernst, Senior Student Research Assistant
Brian is a former Peace Corps volunteer. He spent two years with the Peace Corps in Madagascar, serving in local communities to improve English-language programs and assisting with other capacity-building measures. Before his service abroad, Brian earned his bachelor's degree (double-major in English and Political Science) from Vanderbilt University. Now, as a student at the Korbel School, Brian plans to concentrate his studies on International Security and Development, exploring the effectiveness of international responses to conflict in Africa. Post-graduation, he hopes to work in the diplomatic field or with a nongovernmental organization as a policy analyst, specifically addressing conflict and stability on the African continent.

Manal Farah, Student Research Assistant
Manal Farah was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and moved to the United States at the age of fourteen. She obtained her BA from Otterbein University in International Studies with a minor in Political Science. She is currently an MA candidate in International Studies at the Josef Korbel School with concentrations in International Security and Diplomacy and a regional emphasis in East Africa. Her research interests are in state failure, peace-building, as well as determining what factors led to secessionist movements, specifically in the case of the de-facto state of Somaliland.

Austin Gerber, Student Research Assistant
Austin Gerber is a first-year Master's student in the Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration program within the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He plans to maintain concentrations in international security and the political economy of the European Union. Austin earned his B.S. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida with minors in Leadership, Business Administration, and Agricultural and Natural Resources Ethics and Policy. He was a three-time national champion member of the UF AAEA Quiz Bowl team and an Eagle Scout of Troop 484 out of Clearwater, Florida. Austin is interested in the influence of new governments on the global economy, the impacts of changes in domestic security on trade and development and political and financial reform impacts both domestically and internationally. As an undergraduate his research was published by the University of Florida's Honors Program and focused specifically on international trade patterns while looking at the impact of European Union tariffs on global wine trade. He studied abroad at the University of Paris Research Center in May, 2008 which focused on the food system and legislation of France. Also, he was able to study abroad in June, 2012 across Italy and focused on the impact of agriculture on the economy of both Italy and the European Union.

Pallavi Gulati, Student Research Assistant
Pallavi was born in New Delhi, India and moved to London, England at a young age. In 2009, she earned her undergraduate degree, with First Class Honours, in Politics and International Relations from the University of Manchester. Upon graduation from Manchester, she interned at the Parliamentary office of the former Minister of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas MP. She continued on to work at "The World Today" program at the BBC World Service, and as a political consultant at Insight Public Affairs, a London-based public affairs company. In addition to the Sié Fellowship, Pallavi has been awarded a US-UK Fulbright Scholarship and a scholarship by the British Universities North America Club Educational Trust.

Matt Hagge, Student Research Assistant
Matt Hagge is interested in terrorism, insurgency, and counter-intelligence studies. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in May 2011 with a degree in Criminal Justice and is now a second year graduate student at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Matt is obtaining his Masters in International Security from the Korbel School. His main research interests include law enforcement-centric counterterrorism and case-studies of US counter-intelligence failures. Matt's main regional interests include North America, South America, and the Middle East. Prior to his employment with the PTIR, Matt worked as an intern with the Omaha Police Department's Investigations Bureau. In October, he will be beginning an internship with the Colorado Information Analysis Center to supplement his work at the PTIR. Matt is from Omaha, Nebraska. He studied abroad in Ireland in 2010 and Costa Rica in 2011. Outside of academia, Matt enjoys spending time with friends, watching professional football, and playing intramural sports.

Kyleanne Hunter, Student Research Assistant
Kyleanne is an MA candidate in International Security. She earned her BA from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Since graduation, she has worked for a tech start-up, a defense contractor, and spent over a decade as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, serving as an AH-1W Super Cobra attack pilot on multiple deployments in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. She spent the last 2.5 years as the Marine Corp's Liaison Officer to the House of Representatives. In addition to her liaison duties, she served as the military escort for several international Congressional Delegations for the chairman of the Armed Services, Rules and Veterans' Affairs Committees. At the Korbel School, she is a Research Assistant for the Program on Terrorism and Insurgency Research. In addition to her studies, Kyleanne races road and cyclocross bikes for a domestic elite team based out of Golden, Colorado.

Patrick James, Student Research Assistant
Patrick is a second year MA Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. While enrolled in the International Studies track, he is primarily interested in security issues, such as statebuilding in post-conflict environments, the behavior violent non-state actors during political transitions and asymmetrical forms of warfare. His current field of research centers on the political transitions throughout the Middle East, concentrating on the roles of the military and political Islamic movements. Patrick earned his BA from the University of North Texas where he majored in International Studies and minored in Arabic. Prior to pursuing his Master's Degree, Patrick has extensive experience traveling throughout the Middle East and North Africa. While enrolled in an Arabic language institute in Egypt in early 2011, he was witness to the early stages of the Egyptian uprising from his residence in Cairo. Outside of school, Patrick enjoys playing bass guitar in his rock band, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Jeongsoon Jang, Student Research Assistant
Jeongsoon was born in South Korea, but spent most of her life in Malaysia and in China. As a result of her international upbringing, she speaks four languages (Korean, English, Chinese and Malay) and has a genuine interest in global issues, particularly in international business and cross-cultural awareness. After earning her BA from Korea University, Jeong became a certified financial consultant for Shinhan Bank in Seoul, where she was tasked with various responsibilities in the field of foreign investment. She also interned at the ASEAN-Korea Centre, an intergovernmental organization that aims to increase trade, investment, and cultural exchange between South Korea and ASEAN Member States. Upon completion of the MA program at the Korbel School, Jeong plans to earn her PhD.

Kara Kingma , Research Fellow 
Kara Kingma is a PhD candidate in International Studies at Korbel. She graduated summa cum laude from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 2010 with a B.A. in Government/International Affairs. She earned her M.A. in International Studies from Korbel in 2012, where her research focused on democratic transitions in states divided along racial, ethnic, and religious lines. Her studies also focused more generally on the Middle East, and she served as a member and cochair of the Middle East Discussion Group from 2010-2012. Kara remains interested in the consolidation of new democracies and levels of government effectiveness and citizen satisfaction in these new systems. She recently coauthored a journal article with Professor Devin Joshi in African and Asian Studies on levels of representation of women in Asian parliaments. Kara also serves as the PhD Representative on the Sie Center Governing Board at Korbel. Kara lives in Denver with her fiancé, Todd, and enjoys watching sports and spending time in the great outdoors.

Christopher S. McGeady, Student Research Assistant
Christopher is an MA candidate in International Security at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, where his primary research interests are terrorism, counter-terrorism, and homeland security, with a regional focus on the Levant area of the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Egypt). He earned his BA in Middle East Studies from Vanderbilt University, where he studied the region's history, politics, philosophies, and languages. While attending Vanderbilt he studied abroad at the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland, where his primary focus was on international terrorism and the political economy of the Middle East. In his spare time Christopher enjoys good books, films, and TV shows, and is highly engaged in domestic political debate.

Graham Miller, Student Research Assistant
Graham graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond in 2009 with his BA in History. Since graduating, he has worked at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. as an analyst in the strategy and development group. During his time at National Geographic his responsibilities included strategic planning and corporate integration, as well as business development functions with domestic and international partners across various media ventures. At the Korbel School, Graham is pursuing an MA in International Security.

Pauline Moore, Research Fellow
Pauline Moore is a Ph.D. candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She completed her M.A. in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Terrorism Analysis at the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). She holds a B.A. in International Studies and Russian from Middlebury College. Pauline's research interests include political violence and terrorism, in particular the reasons behind the use of violent and nonviolent forms of political contestation in civil wars. Pauline joined Consultancy Africa Intelligence's Africa Conflict Monthly Monitor publication in 2012, where she has published several articles on conflict in North and West Africa. Prior to this, she spent seven years working in the field of international development in Africa and Latin America. As a carbon markets specialist at Conservation International, Pauline managed sustainable land-use and conservation initiatives in countries such as Peru, Colombia, Madagascar, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. She also spent four years as a consultant in a clean energy development firm based in the U.S., focusing primarily on the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Mali and Morocco. In addition to English and her native French, Pauline also speaks Russian, Spanish and Italian. She is married to Isaac Moore, and they live in Denver with their daughter Sophia.

Jonathan Pinckney, Student Research Assistant
Jonathan Pinckney is an MA candidate in International Studies. Jonathan received his BA in International Affairs from Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, graduating summa cum laude with special honors. Jonathan has lived and worked in Egypt and India, where he helped establish the Bestsemester India Studies Program. He also serves on a volunteer basis as the Director of Operations of BIRDS International, an NGO working to address issues of rural poverty in South India. His primary research interests are civil resistance, contentious politics, and political transitions, with regional focuses on the Middle East and South Asia. Upon completion of his MA degree, Jonathan plans to earn his doctorate.

Airin Rachma, Student Research Assistant
Airin is from Indonesia and she received her B.A in International Relations from Catholic University of Parahyangan, Bandung, Indonesia. After graduating in 2008, she became a Research Assistant at the Institute of Defense and Security Studies in Jakarta. In the same year, she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia as a Foreign Service Officer and was posted shortly as an attaché at the Indonesian Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 2011, Airin received the Fulbright Award and her interests in Southeast Asian affairs, peacekeeping and peacebuilding issues encouraged her to pursue a Masters degree in International Security at the Korbel School. In her spare time, Airin enjoys traveling, dancing and cooking for her loved ones. Airin is married to Chandra Satriadi Putra, who also works for the Foreign Service.

Kristina Ryan, Student Research Assistant
Kristina is an MA candidate in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration with a focus on International Security and Political Risk Analysis. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she studied International Affairs and Anthropology. Her interests are currently in civil war studies, specifically how economic and trade relations affect the intensity and duration of conflict. Additionally, her regional interests lie in Africa, as well as Europe. Kristina will spend the next academic term with the Global Security and Development program in Washington D.C. and she hopes to someday work in the intelligence sector.

Brian Sara, Student Research Assistant
Brian is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Global Finance, Trade and Economic Integration at the Josef Korbel School. His interests include U.S. trade policy, comparative political economy and political violence. During the summer of 2013, Brian will serve as an International Trade Intern at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prior to his time at Korbel, Brian worked as a consultant for a technology company and interned with a multinational corporate advisory firm. Brian is a native of Wisconsin and holds an Honors B.S. in Business Administration and Anthropology from Marquette University.

Ariana Shockley, Student Research Assistant
Ariana is an MA candidate in International Security at the Korbel School of International Studies. She graduated from Iowa State University in May of 2012 with a BA in Political Science. Her areas of interest include weapons trade, American foreign policy, nuclear non-proliferation, and multilateral organizations. Ariana's previous research experience includes the origins of constructivism and exploring the causal relationship between international weapons trade and state participation in regional security organizations.

Ying Hui Tng, Student Research Assistant
Ying Hui is from Singapore. Her upbringing there has inspired her to seek a career in journalism and become an advocate for freedom of the press. She earned her BA in Political Science at the National University of Singapore, and while a student also worked as an independent journalist for The Online Citizen, the most popular alternative news website in Singapore. After graduation, she worked at CNBC for almost a year. Ying Hui has also written for Al Jazeera and Asian Correspondent, reporting on sensitive issues such as human rights in China and Singapore. At the Korbel School, she will be earning her Master's degree in International Studies.

Matthew Walje, Student Research Assistant
Matthew is a recent graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, where he earned his BA in International Relations and Political Science. As a student at William Jewell, he was named the Outstanding Junior in Political Science in 2010 and Outstanding Senior in 2011. He also studied in Santiago, Chile and Chania, Greece through The Fund for American Studies. During his time as a student, Matt also served as a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves and remains a Senior Analyst for 24th Marines. He has been deployed in support of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to Norway with Operation Cold Response. For his work in Iraq, Matt received a Navy and Marine Corps' Achievement Medal. At the Korbel School, Matt is earning his MA in International Human Rights. He is also working as a Project Coordinator for the NGO Oceans Beyond Piracy and at the Sié Center on the Private Security Monitor research project.

Jihyeon Won, Research Fellow
Jihyeon is a PhD student in the International Studies at the University of Denver. Her main research interests lie at the intersection of political economy and global governance. She examines how the various institutions and actors in government-business relations comprise and shape the current global order on one hand, and how they are affected by the global system on the other. Her studies thus far have focused on the economic development model of China, China's role in shaping new geopolitics through their increase of FDI in North Korea, and the effect of private security on the role of the state. Jihyeon received her BA and MA in Political Science from Ewha Womans University, South Korea, where she was awarded the Korea Research Foundation Fellowship. Prior to joining the University of Denver, she spent two years in the East Asian Studies Master's Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her professional experience includes a research assistantship at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in South Korea as well as a research position at Northeast Asian History Foundation.