Wahyu's research interests lie in conservation science and policy, with particular emphasis on conservation social science and wildlife trade topics. Prior to joining Princeton, he worked for several international organisations as a researcher looking at various conservation issues, including illegal wildlife trade, illegal logging, REDD+, and voluntary carbon markets. He holds an MSc in biodiversity, conservation, and management at the University of Oxford (Mansfield College) as an Oxford-Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Scholar, where his dissertation applied conservation criminology to explore wildlife crime in Indonesia. He received a BSc in geography with a major in cartography and remote sensing from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia.

Oladoyin is from Lagos, Nigeria, but went to high school in South Africa and Wales. Her undergraduate studies at Princeton University were in operations research and financial engineering. She is interested in energy planning to increase access to energy and industrialisation in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work specifically considers the realities around the political economy and the need for transition to low carbon technologies. Before starting her STEP Ph.D., Oladoyin completed a master’s in operations research and information engineering at Cornell University. She also worked in Mumbai, India, as a data analyst, and in London as a data engineer before recommitting to her passion to see Africa rise. When she’s not thinking about her research, she’s writing on her blog, yenuwo.com where she expresses her creative and introspective side.

David is a Ph.D. student in Security Studies and a Fellow at the Center for International Security Studies. David’s doctoral work lies at the intersection of regime typology and international law compliance. Prior to coming to Princeton, David graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. with honors majoring in political science with a minor in Asian studies. After Swarthmore, he attended London School of Economics and Political Science, where he earned a Master of Science in international relations as a Cunningham Scholar. His research at LSE, theorized a connection between political economic structures such of state-led capitalism and geopolitical revision. Most recently, David earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Keller Scholar. His research and coursework focused on questions of public international law, the law of war, international human rights, and the Use of Force. Professionally, David has accompanied his academic pursuits holding roles as a research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University, and most recently as a legal intern for the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. 

Sydney Leigh Smith (she/her) is a PhD student in Security Studies at Princeton University, co-advised by Kim Lane Scheppele and Barbara Buckinx. She specializes in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV), international human rights, and humanitarian law. She holds a B.A. in International Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in Human Rights Studies from Columbia University. Sydney applies feminist research methodologies to drive policy and legal reform, with a focus on sexual violence in conflict zones, particularly on invisible victims and perpetrators of CRSV.

Her research journey into CRSV began at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, where she played a pivotal role in developing a comprehensive global dataset on state-perpetrated sexual violence. Notable positions include her tenure as Lead Researcher at the Clooney Foundation for Justice, where she spearheaded strategic litigation initiatives to combat gender-based violence across Africa. Additionally, as a Legal Researcher and Advisor at the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, she contributed to the design of innovative data tools for the African regional human rights system and provided expert guidance on issues specifically affecting the rights of women and girls.

Currently, Sydney holds multiple roles, including International Legal and Policy Consultant at the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit (DGRU) at the University of Cape Town, where she supports the Judicial Institute for Africa (JIFA) and AfricanLII programs with expertise in African international law, governance, and policy. She is also a Gender Fellow and Africa Program Fellow at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, and a Contributor for Global Voices. She also chairs the Africa Policy Network at Princeton University, serves as president of the Princeton Pet Society, and represents PhD students as the PUPSG PhD Representative.

Beyond her academic and professional work, Sydney is deeply committed to advocacy and community service. She volunteers with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, The Sato Project, and Liberty in North Korea. In her free time, she enjoys taking long walks with her rescue dogs, Baby and Barnaby.

Calvin is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program. He is a member of the Behavioral Science and Policy Lab and is advised by Dr. Elke Weber. In his research, Calvin investigates the sociopolitical dynamics of energy transitions in the U.S., China, and Germany. Ultimately, he aims to facilitate a more nuanced understanding of energy policies across these three countries and improve the management of sociopolitical responses in energy transitions. Previously, Calvin worked as a power market reform intern at RMI, an energy and environmental policy intern at China Policy, and a transportation system analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Calvin holds a master’s degree in China studies from Peking University and a B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University.