Current Students
Biographical Profiles of Current Ph.D. Students
Margot is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Science Technology and Environmental Policy (STEP) cluster, jointly advised by Jesse Jenkins and Michael Oppenheimer. Prior to coming to Princeton, Margot received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington, where she discovered a passion for energy and power systems. Now, Margot is interested in the technical and regulatory trends of transmission and power systems, both in the United States and abroad. While at the University of Washington, Margot completed three computer vision and autonomous robotics internships with the Office of Naval Research and a regional transmission planning internship with the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). In her spare time, Margot enjoys running, weight lifting, watching movies, and eating at fun restaurants.
Anderson is a Ph.D. student at the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs. He obtained his A.M. in Regional Studies—East Asia from Harvard University, and his A.B. in Japanese Studies and Political Science from Middlebury College.
As a junior scholar of political science with a regional interest in East Asia, Anderson researches the emergent patterns of cooperation and competition in the Indo-Pacific. On a theoretical level, he is interested in explaining how political preferences originate, the mechanisms by which they are shaped, and the processes by which they may become policy therein. On the empirical side, he is interested in the mode and manner in which alliances and blocs form, the conditions under which bilateral and multilateral arrangements emerge, and the varying effects that geopolitical alignments can have on the region. His doctoral advisors are Professor G. John Ikenberry and Professor Naima Green-Riley.
Fluent in Japanese (JLPT N1) and proficient in Mandarin Chinese, Anderson is an alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Scholarship Program (Japan/Research) and the Critical Language Scholarship Program for Advanced Japanese. He has traveled to the People's Republic of China as a visiting scholar through Peking University, and to the Republic of China as a scholar with the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Anderson draws upon this area expertise to incorporate primary source materials into his research.
An aspiring public servant, Anderson has professional experience working at every level of government. Previously, he has been with the City of Burlington (CEDO), the Vermont General Assembly (Senate), the U.S. Department of State (EAP/China), the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP/USTR-South & Central Asia), and the World Bank Group (IEG).
Avery is from Kingston, Jamaica, and graduated from Grinnell College in 2021 with a major in physics and concentrations in technology and environmental studies. Her interest in energy systems flourished during her time at college when she interned at Emera Caribbean Limited in Barbados which made her realize the importance of communication between technocrats and policymakers. Following this experience, Avery was able to assist a rural village in Nepal to build a solar-powered water pump after the village's water supply was disrupted by the 2015 earthquake. These two experiences have allowed Avery to understand that community engagement and interest, as well as boundary-spanning between private and public institutions, are important for the transition to clean energy systems. During her time at Princeton, she hopes to assess the factors which would enable energy systems to be implemented in a society without disrupting the sociocultural fabric of the society. Outside of academics, during her undergraduate years, Avery was involved in improving equitable and safe-spaces by informing faculty and administration of necessary policy changes to assist in the retention of black students in the sciences. Furthermore, in her free time, Avery enjoys playing the harp, reading, and exploring new places.
Tom is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy program, advised by Professor Michael Oppenheimer. His research uses tools from econometrics and data science to investigate the causal impacts of weather and climate change on economic and social outcomes. Prior to coming to Princeton, Tom worked as a pre-doctoral fellow at the Climate Impact Lab at the University of Chicago, and as an economist in the U.K. government. He has a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge and an undergraduate degree from LSE.
Yemi graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Georgetown University and received a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Cambridge. Her research interests center on group dynamics within the context of ethnic conflict in the Horn of Africa, with a particular focus on modern Ethiopian history. She is currently advised by Dr. Betsy Levy Paluck and Dr. Lacy Leigh. During her undergraduate studies, she completed a thesis examining how various forms of perceived threat influence an individual’s willingness to relinquish civil liberties. At Cambridge, her independent research explored the role of third-party mediation and its applicability in addressing Ethiopia’s internal conflicts. Prior to her graduate studies, Yemi served as an AmeriCorps Promise Fellow with Check & Connect, an intervention program dedicated to improving high school graduation rates across U.S. school districts. She has also interned at the Association for Psychological Science, worked on academic development projects in Ethiopia, and contributed as a graduate researcher to the Active and Accessible Team at the U.K.’s Department for Transport. Yemi aims to amplify underrepresented narratives and shape peacebuilding and policy strategies rooted in the local histories, identities, and lived experiences that define ethnic conflict in East Africa.