RECENT ALUMNI
Uğurcan Evci (2017) started the Political Science PhD program at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests are in comparative politics, particularly social movements and collective action. In his MA thesis, he examined the role of information communication technologies, specifically the level of internet penetration, on democratic change. A Fulbright Scholar, Ugurcan received his undergraduate degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey.
Alizeh Khohari (2017) is a political journalist in Pakistan. As a desk editor at the Herald magazine, she has done extensive research on the prevalence of political dynasties in Pakistani politics. Alizeh attended NYU as a Fulbright Scholar. In her MA thesis she examined the effects of dynasticism on women’s representation in Pakistan’s National Assembly. While at NYU, Alizeh received the Walter and Betsy Cronkite Fellowship from the Overseas Press Club Foundation. As part of her fellowship, she spent a summer conducting research at the Reuters bureau in Mexico City. Alizeh is a graduate of the London School of Economic, where she received her degree in Government and Economics.
Talin (Bagdassarian) Markarian (2017) is an Outreach Specialist with the Office of the City Clerk- Election Division for the City of Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, where she majored in political science and history. Her research interests are in political development, ethnic conflict, and migration. In her MA thesis, she examined factors that impact country’s labor migrant policies. While a student at NYU, Talin worked at the Armenian Relief Society USA as their Youth Representative to the United Nations and as a graduate research assistant in the Department of Politics on a project related to ethnic conflict.
Eunseong Oh (2017) is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, where she studies political theory and comparative politics. Her research interests are in democratic theory and legal philosophy. Her MA thesis examined the role of constitutional courts as the guardian of the constitution, restricting executive power in nascent democracies, by examining the role of the Constitutional Court of Korea in presidential impeachment cases. Eunseong is a graduate of Ewha Womans University in South Korea, where she received a bachelor’s degree in social science education. She is the recipient of a Global Korea Scholarship from the Korean Government. While at NYU, she served as a managing editor on the Journal of Political Inquiry.
Ji Min Kim (2016) started the PhD program in the Department of Government at Georgetown University in the fall of 2016. Her research interests are in political theory, including the history of political philosophy, constitutional theory, and multiculturalism. Ji Min graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, majoring in government with a concentration in modern political theories and philosophy. While at NYU, she served as a managing editor on the Journal of Political Inquiry.
Kim Tran (2016) started the PhD program in the Department of Political Science at the Pennsylvania State University in the fall of 2016. His research interests are in international relations with a focus on the linkages between domestic political systems and state behavior, particularly as related to intrastate war. His MA thesis examined the extent to which the distribution of public goods may become altered when there are changes in the level of political accountability. Kim graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in political science. He worked as a legislative director in the California State Assembly and then as the policy director and research manager for the Campaign for College Opportunity, a non-profit organization.
Andrew Tripodo (2016) is the Social Studies Curriculum Specialist for the Democracy Prep Public Schools, a network of public charter schools. A graduate of Kenyon College with a degree in political science, Andrew entered the Teach for America Program. He taught English and Law Studies at the Grace King High School is New Orleans, where he introduced his students to political philosophy. While a student in the MA program in Politics, Andrew studied political theory and American Politics, completing a thesis examining low voter turnout among lower income Americans.
M. Ozgur Bozcaga (2015) is a PhD student in Boston University’s Department of Political Science. He specializes in comparative politics and quantitative methodology with emphases on the political economy of development and political behavior. In his MA thesis, he investigated the pro-incumbent effects of the conditional cash transfer program in Turkey, arguing that voters' electoral responses to material inducements are not uniform and the relative ideological positions of beneficiaries have a determining role. Prior to coming to NYU, Ozgur received his BA in Political Science and International Relations from Bogazici University. He worked on regulatory institutions and accountability at the Ministry for EU Affairs of Turkey, on agricultural and environmental politics at the Economic Development Foundation, and acted as a coordinator at the 5th World Water Forum Secretariat.
Trisha Faulkner (2015) is a 2015 Presidential Management Fellowship Finalist. As a fellow, she is currently a Foreign Affairs Officer working at the U.S. State Department in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues. Trisha received her undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies and European History from Northwestern University. With a background in translation, she worked as a program manager for Google. Trisha continued to work full-time for Google while enrolled in the MA program, where her research interests were primarily related to the causes of armed conflict and formal modeling. Her thesis applied game theory to examine the strategic decision making process related to state vs. state cyber conflict.
Merrite Johnson (2015) is a graduate of NYU’s Bachelor’s-Master’s Program in Politics. While in the MA program, she specialized in comparative politics; in her thesis, she examined women’s increased political representation in post-conflict countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, Merrite works as the executive assistant at the Global Justice Center in New York City, a non-profit organization focused on the enforcement of international human rights law and gender equality.
Elia Francesco Nigris (2015) is currently a Junior Professional Officer with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Elia graduated from Bocconi University in Milan with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In the MA program, he specialized in political economy, with research interests in regulatory capture and elections and campaigns. His thesis examined the relationship between labor market reforms and economic growth in Europe. While at NYU, Elia interned with both the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations and the European Delegation to the United Nations.
Liana Eustacia Reyes-Reardon (2015) started Rice University’s PhD program in Political Science in the fall of 2016. She will also be a visiting research fellow at National Defense University’s Center for Complex Operations. Her research is focused on conflict and cooperation, with particular emphasis on armed non-state actors (alliances, territorial control, governance, strategic behavior). During her time in the MA program and following her graduation, Liana was the research coordinator for IBI Consultants, LLC, a Washington D.C. national security consulting firm, where she managed a variety of projects including works within the Center for Strategic and International Studies and National Defense University. She has also been named as a 2016-2017 APSA Latino Scholarship Fund Recipient.