All teaching assistants will be available in room 426 PGH

Gefry Alapani | gbalapin@cougarnet.uh.edu

Gefry Alapini is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science, specializing in Comparative political analysis and quantitive methods. His research focuses on governance, election, and fraud in the democratics system.

Robert D. Alvarez | rdalvare@CougarNet.UH.EDU

Robert D. Alvarez is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science, studying American Politics with a focus on political communication and Latino politics. His primary research interests include media effects, political behavior, Latino representation, and media polarization. His dissertation work explores the causes and consequences of differential media coverage, looking at ideological extremity as a predictor for news coverage received by members of Congress. Robert received his B.A. in Journalism from the University of Houston and worked as a journalist for several years before completing his MLA in Political Science at the University of St. Thomas.

Eugenia Artabe | meartabe@cougarnet.uh.edu 

Eugenia Artabe is a graduate student in the Department of Political Science. I hold a bachelor degree in law, and a master degree in Constitutional Law and Human Rights. My research interests focus on courts, judicial behavior, human rights, and institutions.

Amanda Austin | ataustin@cougarnet.uh.edu 

Amanda Austin is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science, studying methodology and American politics. Her substantive interests include economic inequality, ideology, and political psychology and her methodological interests include experiments, deep learning, and text analysis. She is the recipient of the Society for Political Methodology’s Box-Steffensmeier scholarship and the Hobby School ICPSR scholarship. She works as a research assistant for UH’s NSF-funded Responsive Algorithms for Social Accountability (CRASA) and as a teaching assistant for the graduate course in machine learning. Her dissertation investigates how perceptions of sociotropic sufficiency and scarcity impact economic policy preferences. She holds a B.A. in political science from Emory University and an M.P.P. in global public policy from Duke University.

Samantha Chapa | schapa2@central.uh.edu

Samantha Chapa is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the University of Houston. Her National Science Foundation-funded research focuses broadly on the political rights and representation of migrants and people of color. Her dissertation examines the impacts of local, urban policies on immigrant and minoritized groups. She has presented work on immigrant inclusion in urban politics, the effects of policy on anti-immigrant sentiment, and the international diffusion of sophisticated migrant tracking methods. Her work has been published in British Journal of Politics and East European Politics and Societies. Prior to graduate school, she worked at BakerRipley—a non-profit—for three years, where she provided legal representation as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative to vulnerable immigrants in the Houston-area. She completed her Bachelor’s in English and History at Rice University.

EunHye Grace Cho | echo8@cougarnet.uh.edu

EunHye Grace Cho is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science studying political theory and American politics. Her research interests include modern and contemporary political thought (Rousseau, Tocqueville, Strauss), secularization, and religion and politics. Grace received her M.A. in international relations (majoring in political theory) from Seoul National University in South Korea and her B.A. in international area studies (summa cum laude) from Handong Global University.

Aparajita Datta | adatta3@central.uh.edu

Aparajita Datta is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science studying public policy and international relations. Her dissertation evaluates the policy feedback effects of means-tested home energy assistance programs. She studies the burdens and disparities in program participation, and the resultant impacts on racial equity, energy affordability and justice, and climate policymaking. Aparajita also serves as a research scholar at UH Energy, the energy initiative across the University of Houston System. In this role, she focuses on federal and state policies for net-zero decarbonization and climate resilience, public opinion on carbon management and sustainability, and workforce development for the energy transition. Aparajita holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, India; and master’s degrees in energy management and public policy from the University of Houston.

Peer-reviewed Publications:

1. Datta, A., & Krishnamoorti, R. (2023). Analysis of Direct Air Capture Integrated with Wind Energy and Enhanced Oil Recovery. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(5), 2084-2092.
2. Datta, A., and Krishnamoorti, R. (2022). Understanding the Greenhouse Gas Impact of Deforestation Fires in Indonesia and Brazil in 2019 and 2020. Frontiers in Climate, 5.
3. Mallette, A., Datta, A., and Krishnamoorti, R. (2021). Consolidated Nuclear Waste Storage in Andrews, Texas: An Integrated Technical and Policy Risk Analysis. Energy and Environment.
4. Datta, A., De Leon, R., and Krishnamoorti, R. (2020). Advancing Carbon Management through the Global Commoditization of CO2 – The case for Dual-use LNG-CO2 Shipping. Carbon Management, 11(6), 611-630.
5. Datta, A., and Krishnamoorti, R. (2019). Opportunities for a Low Carbon Transition-Deploying Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage in Northeast India. Frontiers in Energy Research, 7, 12.

Katia Davis | kedavis7@uh.edu

Katia Davila is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science studying comparative politics and international relations. Her research interests are primarily in comparative elections and voting behavior. Additional interests include political parties, political behavior, and authoritarian regimes. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Global Studies and a minor in Business.  

Shelby Davis | sdavis27@cougarnet.uh.edu

Shelby Davis is a third year Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the department of political science. She studies international relations and comparative politics, with specific research interests in gender, war, and terrorism. She graduated summa cum laude from Siena College with a B.A. in Political Science and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with an M.S. in Criminal Justice, where her research focused on the Haqqani Network and Afghan terrorist organizations. Her work at the University of Houston focuses on gender dynamics within terrorist organizations.

Peer Reviewed Publications:

• Phillips, M., and Davis, S. (2022). The Nexus of Organized Crime and Terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Organized Crime and Terrorism: What is the Nexus? (Fijnaut, C., Paoli, L., and Wouters, J., eds.). Oxford University Press.

• Gaub, J., Koen, M. C., and Davis, S. (2022). Transitioning from pandemic to normalcy: what police departments can learn from rank-and-file. Policing: An International Journal 45(1): 91-105. 

• Davis, S., and Arrigo, B. (2021). The Dark Web and Anonymizing Technologies: Legal Pitfalls, Ethical Prospects, and Policy Direction from Radical Criminology. Journal of Crime, Law, and Social Change 76(2): 367-386. 

• Davis, S. (2020). The Haqqani Network: Success in the Shadows. Journal of Undergraduate International Studies 25: 33-54. 

• Cutler, L., and Davis, S. Guantanamo: An Unnecessary Presidential Legacy. JURIST. University of Pittsburgh.

Sebastian Ege | slege@uh.edu

Sebastian Ege is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science. He studies Comparative and American politics. His research interests include methods, populism and political parties in Western Europe. Sebastian holds a B.A. in International Relations from the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.

Maya Fitch | mfitch@cougarnet.uh.edu

Maya Fitch is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Political Science studying American Politics and Public Policy. Her research interests include racial/ethnic politics, and LGTBQ representation within the institutions and Public Opinion.  She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and minors in Sociology and Legal Studies.

Tom Hanna | tlhanna@uh.edu | Website

Tom Hanna is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of political science. He studies international relations and comparative politics. His specific research interests are authoritarian politics, ideology, conflict, and international political economy. His dissertation examines the role of leadership ideology and rhetoric in nondemocracies in fostering autocracy promotion or threats to democracy. He graduated with a B.S. in political science with a minor in economics, summa cum laude from the University of Houston.

Shana Hardin | shardin4@cougarnet.uh.edu 

Shana Hardin is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science, studying public policy and comparative politics. Her research interests include women’s representation in state legislatures, policy outcomes as a result of women’s increased representation, and changes in women’s cosponsorship behavior due to symbolic representation. Shana graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston in December 2020 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in Spanish. During her undergraduate career, the Provost recognized Shana’s research on factors that determine women’s electoral success in running for Congress as one of the outstanding projects for the 2019-20 school year.

David Hilden | djhilden@cougarnet.uh.edu

David Hilden is a political science Ph.D. student at the University of Houston. He is interested in international relations and civil-military relations, with particular interest in social media as they relate to these domains. He received his M.A. from the University of Michigan and his B.A. (magna cum laude) from Northern Michigan University.

Kenzy Ismail | ktismail@cougarnet.uh.edu

Kenzy Ismail is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science. She studies Comparative Politics and Methods. Her specific research interests are Game theory, Geopolitics, National Security and Strategy, Political Economy, Revolutionary Movements and with particular interest in the Middle East. She graduated with a B.A. in Political science with a minor in Economics from the University of Alexandria with cumulative grade of Excellence with honors.

Jackson Ezell | jbezell@cougarnet.uh.edu

Jackson Ezell is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science studying Political Theory and American Politics. His primary research interests are Late Modern Political Thought, mainly Utilitiarians and Contractarians, as well as American political parties. Jackson has a BA in Political Science from Baylor University, where he graduated cum laude.

Miranda Jones | mjones37@cougarnet.uh.edu

Conference Participation: Midwest Political Science Association (2021); International Studies Association Northeast (2021)

Miranda Jones is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the department of political science. She studies comparative politics and international relations. Her research focuses on democratization and autocratization, with specific interests in power-sharing dynamics in transitioning regimes. Before coming to the University of Houston, Miranda received a B.S. in political science from Shepherd University and an M.A. in political science from Texas Tech University.

Billy Justus | bjustus@cougarnet.uh.edu

Billy Justus is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science studying American Politics and public policy. His research interests are primarily in judicial politics. Additional interests include race/ethnicity studies, influence of media and methodology, especially text as data. Billy holds a M.S. in government analytics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina Asheville. Prior to starting the program, Billy worked professionally administering federal student aid for undergraduates and overseeing compliance for pharmacy students.

Rasha Khayat | rkhayat@cougarnet.uh.edu

Rasha Khayat is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Political Science studying Political Theory and Comparative Politics. Her research interests include liberalism, democratization, and political economy. She graduated with a 3.93 CGPA from the Lebanese American University with a Master of Arts in Applied Economics and received her bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Balamand. After graduation, Rasha spent two years with the United Nations (Economic and Social Commission in Western Asia) based in Beirut, Lebanon, where she worked as a research assistant on development issues in the fields of Economic and Social Development, and Statistics.

Publication: “Social identity, confidence in institutions, and youth: Evidence from the Arab Spring” Published in 2022 in the Social Science Quarterly.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13179 

H.M. Kim | hkim72@cougarnet.uh.edu

H.M. Kim is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science, majoring in comparative politics. His research interest is the consequence of candidate-centered elections, such as clientelism, pork barrel, and vote buying related to non-programmatic policies. His dissertation explores how intra-party competition in single-non-transferable voting affects candidates' campaign strategies and the corruption of local councils. H.M. Kim received a B.A. and M.A. in political science from Pusan National University in South Korea.

Bonhoon Koo | bkoo4@cougarnet.uh.edu

Hello, my name is Bonhoon Koo, and I am from South Korea, majoring in Comparative and American politics here at the University of Houston. Specifically, my research interest is in democracy and democratization, particularly regarding cultural and psychological aspects. Before I joined UH, I studied in both graduate and undergraduate schools at Sogang University in South Korea, majoring in political science. I love traveling abroad and playing and watching soccer games.

Larrisa Landin | lrodri48@cougarnet.uh.edu

Larrisa Landin is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of political science. She studies methods and public policy. Her specific research interests include political behavior, minority and gender voting behavior, government spending on education, and policies impacting early childhood education. Larrisa received her M.P.A in public administration from the University of Texas and her B.S. in sociology from the University of Houston. 

Songeun Emily Lee | selee5@cougarnet.uh.edu | Website

Songeun Emily Lee is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science studying Political Methodology and International Relations. Her research interests include foreign aid, regionalism, democratization and Japanese politics. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Myongji University, South Korea with a major in Political Science and received a Master of Arts and completed a Ph.D. coursework in Political Science from Yonsei University, South Korea.

Liang Li | lli62@cougarnet.uh.edu

Liang Li is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science, specializing in Comparative Politics and Research Methods. Her research focuses on elite interactions and conflicts, political institutions, and economic performance in authoritarian politics.

Website: https://liliangtian11.github.io/

Lucia Lopez | llopezhi@central.uh.edu

Lucia Lopez is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science studying American Politics and Public Policy. Her specific interests are in judicial politics, state courts, and how individual experiences with institutions affect political engagement. She currently works as a Research Assistant on a National Science Foundation grant researching accountability mechanisms for algorithms in public policy. Lucia is an attorney, graduated magna cum laude with her Juris Doctor degree, and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Michigan University.

Lucas Lothamer | ljlotham@cougarnet.uh.edu

Lucas Lothamer is a doctoral candidate in the department of political science studying American Politics. His research focuses on political cynicism, discontent, anger, and their effect on political and electoral behavior. Additionally, he is interested in the causes of political violence in American politics. His dissertation work seeks to bridge the gap between two competing theories on the prevalence and consequences of political cynicism in American politics. He received a B.A. and M.A. in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Silky Joshi Malik | sajoshi@cougarnet.uh.edu

Silky Joshi Malik is a doctoral student at in the department of political sciences studying American Politics and public policy. Her research interests focus on questions at the intersection of feminism, gender, race and political behavior.

Silky is a native Houstonian and a proud alum of the University of Houston. Graduating magna cum laude and with University Honors, she holds a dual bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from the University of Houston, and a master’s degree in business administration from West Texas A&M.

In 2017, Silky was the first woman to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’ 2nd Congressional District; in 2020 she published a book detailing her run for office and experience as a political newcomer. Silky also co-hosts KPFT's weekly talk radio show, Coming to America, which explores the topic of immigration and other issues relevant to Houstonians.

William H. Marsh | whmarsh@cougarnet.uh.edu

William H. Marsh is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science, where he studies political theory and American politics. He is the Graduate Fellow for the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Center on Ethics and Leadership at the Hobby School of Public Affairs, where he also works as a Teaching Assistant for “Philosophy and Public Policy I & II.” His research interests lie at the intersection of critical social theory and public policy, toward the formulation of a public ethics of care for the legalization of drugs and destigmatization of the people who use them. Through the lenses of postmodern and contemporary moral philosophy (Levinas, Parfit, Scanlon, Engster, Kittay), social psychology, and critical theory, he studies care ethics, the language of care, and their relationships to deviance and the development of public morality. William has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Houston, an M.P.P. from the Hobby School of Public Affairs (UH), where his work focused on psychedelic studies, and ethical drug policy, respectively.

Kyle Martin | kjmart23@cougarnet.uh.edu

Kyle Martin is a doctoral student in the department of political science studying political theory and American politics. His research interests include politics and religion, as well as the work and political theory of Abraham Kuyper. Kyle graduated magna cum laude from Biola University with a bachelor’s degree in cinema and media arts, and as an alumni of the Torrey Honors College. Following graduation, Kyle worked in the film industry before transitioning into nonprofit work with charter schools in Southern California as a credentialed Human Resources Professional.

Jonah Forrest McCoy | jfmccoy2@cougarnet.uh.edu

Jonah Forrest McCoy is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science studying political theory and comparative politics. His primary area of interest is in German political theory and how political theory influenced governmental policy during the German Empire. Additional areas of interest include other Victorian Era regimes, and authoritarianism in the West. He graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a B.A. in Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership and a B.S. in Economics, and as an alumnus of the Barrett Honors College.

Naomi Nubin-Sellers | nnnubin@central.uh.edu

PhD Candidate
Research Assistant for Dr. Ling Zhu

Naomi Nubin-Sellers is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the University of Houston. Her research interests include public policy, REP, and state politics. Naomi's ongoing dissertation research was awarded the 2023 Jo Ann Gibson-Robinson Dissertation Award from the Association for the Study of Black Women in Politics, a visiting dissertation fellowship (2023-2024), as well as several fellowships from the American Political Science Association. She also serves as the graduate student representative for the National Conference of Black political Scientists-Executive council. Naomi is a proud HBCU graduate, receiving both her bachelor's and MPA degrees from Texas Southern University.

Olayinka Otesanya | oaotesan@cougarnet.uh.edu

Olayinka Otesanya is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the Department of Political Science, studying International Relations, and Comparative Politics.

His research interest focuses on International Security, Terrorism, and Counter-terrorism. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bsc in Political Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Academic Award

• Distinguished Educationist of the Year, Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan (2022)

Julio Cesar Rodriguez Araujo | jcrodri8@cougarnet.uh.edu

Julio Cesar Rodriguez Araujo is a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the department of political science studying political theory and public policy.

His research interests include political philosophy, bioethics, public policy, and biopolitics. He received his B.A. in philosophy from the University of Houston-Downtown, an M.A. in philosophy from Houston Baptist University, an M.A. in political science from Texas State University, and an M.S. in bioethics from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

JeongKyu (JK) Suh | jsuh3@cougarnet.uh.edu | Website

JeongKyu (JK) Suh is a Ph.D. student in the department of political science, studying American politics and comparative politics. His research interests include political psychology, political behavior, and race and ethnicity, with a particular focus on the impact of in-group favoritism and counter-stereotypes on political attitudes. Methodologically, he is also interested in experimental methods. Before JeongKyu joined the University of Houston, he received his B.A. in political science & international relations (summa cum laude) from Kookmin University and his M.A. in political science from Sogang University. During his M.A. in South Korea, he studied intergroup relations between immigrants and native majorities within Korean political contexts by conducting several experiments.

Alma Sultana | asultan6@cougarnet.uh.edu

I am a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the department of political science studying public policy and comparative politics. My research interests include technology & public policy, energy and environment, healthcare policy, and woman health in underdeveloped areas. I have received master’s degree in political science from University of Memphis and a bachelor in political science from Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh.

Liliana Veloz Marquez | lvelozma@CougarNet.UH.EDU

Liliana Veloz Marquez is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science studying Comparative Politics and Public Policy. Her research interests is in Comparative Politics and Public Policy, focusing on Transparency, Accountability, Corruption, Populism and Clientelism in Latin America and Mexico. Liliana finished her Master´s in Administration and Public Policy at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) in Mexico. She worked as Chief Executive Officer of the Mexican Accountability Network, an academic and civil organization project that sought to design strategies to promote transparency, access to information, and fight against corruption in Mexico. She has worked with students in Professional Master Programs at FLACSO Mexico.

Publications

• Merino, Mauricio, Veloz, Liliana y Hernández Jaime (2016) Por un sistema de rendición de cuentas en Peschard, Jaqueline (Coord.) Hacia el Sistema Nacional de Transparencia, Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas de la UNAM, 1ª edición, ISBN 978-607-02-7550-0, p. 93 -106
• Lourdes Morales, Mariana Campos, Liliana Veloz y Mauricio I. Dussauge Laguna (2014), El Programa Especial de Rendición de Cuentas: propuestas para el desarrollo de una política pública articulada, coherente y completa. Revista Buen Gobierno, Fundación Mexicana de Estudios Políticos y Administrativos, No. 17, Jul-Dic 2014, ISSN 1870-4271 p. 104-129

Ting-wei Weng | tweng2@central.uh.edu

Ting-wei Weng is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston. His research, concentrating on public opinion and political psychology, places a special emphasis on independent voters. His dissertation delves into the perceptions, decision-making processes, and evolving attitudes of these independent voters in the U.S. Prior to the Ph.D. program, he earned an MA in Political Science from both Stony Brook University and National Chengchi University, Taipei, and completed his Bachelor's in Public Administration and Policy from Taipei University.

Jihun Yeo | jyeo@cougarnet.uh.edu

Jihun Yeo is a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Politics. He is interested in studies which trace factors affecting institutional change in a certain socio- economic context through institutional and behavioral analyses. His research area includes contentious politics, the quality of democracy and political cleavages. His dissertation delves into the formation and change of a variety of welfare and labor regimes. He earned a B.A. in Business Administration with a minor in Law at Sogang University and received a M.A. in Political Science at the same university.

Publication

Jihun Yeo. 2015. Hangugui Bokjigyunyeol Busange Gwanhan Yeongu(A Study on the Emergence of Welfare Cleavages in South Korea). Hyeondaejeongchiyeongu (Journal of Contemporary Politics), 8(1): 181-217.