Current Students

Melissa is a Ph.D. student in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy program, focusing on climate policy and behavior. Prior to joining the Princeton community, she worked for five years as the Sustainability Program Manager in the Office of Sustainability at Swarthmore College, where she developed innovative programs related to climate change, zero waste, and environmental justice. During this time, she also completed a part-time master’s degree in sustainable urban development at the University of Oxford. Her master's thesis applied urban governance theories to strategic planning for sustainability, with a case study of the Philadelphia metropolitan area. She previously worked at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University, and holds a B.A. in psychology from Swarthmore.

Megan is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) program. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2018 with degrees in ecology and environmental studies. After her undergraduate studies, she did field research focused on the impact of climate change on plant communities in the Colorado Rockies, southeastern Australia, and central Florida. For the past several years, Megan has worked in local government in the Bay Area, implementing holistic, data-informed conservation approaches to better manage creeks and open space lands, and helping local farmers and ranchers implement carbon-sequestration practices on working landscapes. She is interested in plant conservation, climate change biology, local land management, and the policy-implementation gap. Outside of work, Megan likes to run, read fiction, cook, and find cats to pet.

Ava Thompson Wells is a Ph.D. student in Security Studies at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, where she works closely with her advisor, Dr. Julian Zelizer. She earned her MPhil in History from the University of Cambridge and graduated with a high honors B.A. from the University of Michigan, where she received the James A. Knight Scholarship in History.

Her research explores urban policy and law enforcement dynamics, demonstrated by her thesis works, “Army of Occupation: Detroit’s Residency Requirement and the Detroit Police Officers Association" and "Mind Over Matter: Psychiatry, the Law, and the Making of Modern Criminal Sentencing." Ava has contributed to the Confronting Conditions of Confinement project, focusing on the conditions and consequences of confinement within Michigan's correctional system, notably co-authoring a detailed investigation into the 2016 Kinross prison uprising. She has also extensive experience working within incarcerated populations at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Saline, Michigan, via the Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP). Additionally, Ava has collaborated with History Studio, a consultancy specializing in historical research and storytelling to inform contemporary policy and public engagement. Her current research investigates intersections between right-wing extremism, democratic backsliding, and domestic terrorism, incorporating both historical and policy-oriented analyses.

At Princeton, Ava actively participates in the Gender and Security Reading Group, which applies feminist and gendered frameworks to security studies. She also led a SPIA policy research trip to Atlanta, Georgia, to study the criminal justice landscape of the city. Recently, she presented her research at the 15th Annual Boston University Violence in American Public Life Conference.
 

Troy is a Ph.D. student at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs (Security Studies). As an F/A-18 fighter pilot, Troy lived in Japan and Spain before serving with Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, California. He later transitioned to the Foreign Area Officer community, where he was appointed Naval Attaché in Santiago, Chile. Before beginning his doctoral program, he was assigned to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Troy earned his M.A. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, where he completed the Program for Leadership Development as well as additional executive education courses.

His research examines how the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) engages middle powers in South America as intermediaries to advance its Belt and Road Initiative objectives, and the broader implications for global power dynamics. He is also studying the PRC’s expanding interests in Antarctica and the Arctic, and their impact on U.S. national security strategy.

In his free time, Troy enjoys traveling, flying, speaking Spanish, and spending time with his family and friends.

Yujie was born and raised in Luoyang, which is one of the most historical cities in China. As a Ph.D. student, he joined the STEP program at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs in the fall of 2020. Before coming to Princeton, he received his master's degree in environmental science from Zhejiang University and earned his bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from Southwest Jiaotong University. His previous research focused on using the chemical transport model (CTM) and other numerical models to characterize air pollution in China. At Princeton, he wants to use scientific methods to shed light on climate change and air pollution problems over the world, thus developing practical and effective policies to mitigate them while maximizing environmental benefits and minimizing economic costs.