UNT Department of Political Science

08/31/2026

August 31 Announcements and Notables

Announcements

Mark your calendars! There will be a school wide welcome and retreat for all faculty scheduled on September 18, 2026 from 12 noon -3 pm. Location: University Union 382. Lunch will be served.

There will be a school wide graduate student Ice Cream Social to be held in EESAT (Environmental Science-ENV) Exhibit Hall from 12-3 pm on September 9. Rides from Wooten Hall to EESAT will be provided. All graduate students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend!

UNT’s International Studies Master’s program has been ranked #5 overall in the country for “Best Value International Studies Master’s Program in the USA” for 2026 https://courseadvisor.com/majors/multi-interdisciplinary-studies/international-studies/rankings/best-value/masters-degrees/; In 2023 the MA program was ranked as #1 in the country! Congratulations to the INST program and the School Assistant Director Dariga Abilova who coordinates the INST graduate program for this important recognition.

Beginning on September 18, thanks to the efforts of Harry Williams (Geography and Environment) the School will be sponsoring a faculty speakers’ series this semester called “Cross Currents”. The purpose of the series is to highlight overlapping research themes and methods used in Political Science, Economics and Geography and Environment. The speakers for the series are listed below . The talks will be held in the EESAT building at 3 pm on Fridays (titles, times, and locations TBA)

September 18: Joseph Oppong (Geography and Environment)
October 9: Valerie Martinez-Ebers (political science)
October 16: Hanchen Jiang (economics)
October 23: Leslie Finger (political science)
November 6: Jihoon Jung (Geography and environment)
November 13: Janice Hauge (economics)

More information will be provided later but mark your calendars! All are invited to attend!

Notables

Diego Esparza (University of California, Riverside, former UNT colleague) and John Ishiyama (Political Science) had their article "The Impact of Violence on Voter Choice in Mexico," accepted for publication in the Journal of Political and Military Sociology.
Michael Nieswiadomy (Economics) and Robert Baumann (Holy Cross University) recently published "Time Series Analysis of Federal Effective Individual Income Tax Rates," 1954-2021, in the Journal of Forensic Economics, 33(1) 2026. DOI 10.5085/JFE-515
Troy Phillips ('69) has been named the recipient of UNT’s 2026 Distinguished Alumnus award. He is only the second PSCI alum ever to receive this award. After graduation and serving his country in the U.S. Army, he went on to earn his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, where he was a member of the Order of Barristers and was a state champion on UT’s moot court team. He went on to build a distinguished career as a trial lawyer, bankruptcy and business-reorganization attorney, and law-firm leader. Phillips was one of the earliest alumni to recognize the potential of UNT's undergraduate Moot Court program, providing much needed seed funding, mentoring students, recruiting fellow attorneys to conduct practice rounds, judging tournaments, and becoming the first alumnus to establish an endowed fund supporting the program. His career of professional achievement, leadership, mentorship, philanthropy, and sustained commitment to his alma mater makes Troy Phillips an exceptional recipient of this award.

Ricardo Rozzi (Geography) has recently been elected as a Corresponding Member of the Chilean Academy of Sciences in Santiago, Chile.
https://www.biologiachile.cl/2026-04-22-incorporacion-ricardo-rozzi-a-la-academia-chilena-de-ciencias-by-ivan-cabrera40/ .

Yang Zhou (Economics) has been selected by the Public Choice Society (PCS) to join its leadership team as its inaugural Associate Secretary, serving the leading academic society dedicated to the study of public choice. For more about PCS a see: https://www.publicchoicesociety.org/

Home Welcome to the Public Choice Society An international, interdisciplinary network for the study of collective action. Home of the Elinor and Vincent Ostrom Prize for the Best Combined Paper and Presentation by a Graduate Student at the Annual Meetings. Confers the James Buchanan Distinguished Fe...

08/17/2026

August 17 Announcements and Notables

Announcements

Mark your calendars! There will be a school wide welcome and retreat for all faculty scheduled on September 18, 2026 from 12 noon -3 pm. Location TBA, but it will be in the University Union Building.

There will be a school wide graduate student Ice Cream Social to be held in EESAT (Environmental Science) Exhibit Hall from 12-3 pm on September 9.. Rides from Wooten Hall to EESAT will be provided. All graduate students are invited!

August 6 was the Citizens & Scholars Campuswide Immersion Fall Kick-Off meeting. Janice Hauge (economics) reports that they now have their tasks and agenda for the coming academic year. Campuswide Immersion - C&S [Campuswide Immersion (CWI) is an offering for members of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness who are committed to strengthening their campus culture by helping students develop essential civic skills. President. Keller is a member of this group of college presidents; UNT joined C&S's third cohort in October 2025.]

Notables

Masoud Azarfam (Political Science) had his article “The language of power: discursive isomorphism among authoritarian regimes in justifying constitutional reforms (1989–2020)," in Constitutional Political Economy https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10602-026-09521-7
Catarina Bezzera (Political Science) presented her paper “Violence in the Brazilian and Colombian Amazon: continuities between the colonial past and the neoliberal extractivist present” at the 2026 International Political Science Association (IPSA) Research Committees 44 & 52 “Reimagining the Post-Westphalian Era: Climate Crisis and Networked Security” which took place in São Paulo, Brazil, from August 3-6.
Glen Biglaiser (Political Science) and Lance Hunter (Augusta University) had their paper "Artificial Intelligence Development and Sovereign Bond Ratings” accepted for publication at International Area Studies Review.
Marijke Breuning (Political Science) and John Ishiyama (Political Science) had their article “The Effects of the Russia-Ukraine War on Ethiopian Foreign Policy Roles" accepted for publication in the Journal of Asian and African Studies.
Pinliang D**g (Geography) was interviewed by Paula Viano of the University of Magallanes (UMAG) in Chile when he was invited to give a keynote speech at the IV CHIC International Conference in Puerto Williams, Chile in May. The interview is available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/xoOFvXwy_S0?si=yoOFyohOXi97-UPk .
Ashley English (Political Sciecne) and Lanie Richards (Political Science) had their article, "Insufficient Intersectionality: The Limits of Federal Wage Discrimination Lawsuits in the 21st Century" published in Politics & Gender in June.

Ashley English (Political Science) presented her new paper, "Girl Bosses and Government Insiders: Who Has Access to the Gender Policy Council?" and her upcoming book chapter, "The Gender Policy Council and Mainstreaming in the United States" at the European Conference on Politics and Gender (Newcastle University, UK) in June.

Ashley English's (Political Science) chapter, "The Gender Policy Council and Mainstreaming in the United States" was published in the Research Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming (Edward Elgar).

Leslie Finger (Political Science) had a blog post published by the Fordham Institute (which is an education think tank). It's here: https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/how-has-teachers-union-strength-changed-diving-deeper-crowded-table

Janice Hauge (Economics) had her article “From Conference Participation to Journal Publication: Evidence from TPRC (1994-2022)” accepted for publication and published online in Telecommunications Policy. Telecommunications Policy | Vol 50, Issue 9, In progress (October 2026) | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Janice Hauge (Economics) participated on a panel on August 17 titled “Universal Service Fund Reform” at TPI Aspen, which is an annual event hosted by Technology Policy Institute, August 16-18, St Regis Aspen CO. From the TPI Aspen website: "Each August, leaders from government, industry, and academia gather at the St. Regis Aspen to dig into the hardest questions in technology policy and decide what comes next."

Hanchen Jiang (Economics) had his article “When Illness Strikes Home: The Impact of Severe Health Shocks on Homeownership,” published in Real Estate Economics, the premier journal in the field https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1540-6229.70058

Sanghoon Kim (Political Science) has been selected to participate in the 2026-2027 U.S.-Korea Next Gen Scholars Program from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The U.S.–Korea NextGen Scholars Program is a highly competitive two-year CSIS program, with support from the Korea Foundation to help mentor the next generation of Korea specialists in the United States who will make long-term contributions to the U.S. – ROK relations. A core objective of the program is to identify, nurture, and build a community of American public intellectuals across a wide range of sectors and facilitate policy-oriented research teams and projects.

Ko Maeda (Political Science) delivered an invited presentation "Current Party Politics in Japan: Explaining the LDP’s Fluctuating Electoral Fortunes" at Academia Sinica in Taipei on July 2.

Mohammed (Leo) Moradi (Political Science) had his review essay “Javad Tabatabai, Ibn Khaldun and the Social Sciences: Discourse on the Condition of Impossibility. Translated by Philip Grant” recently published in Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy. https://interpretationjournal.com/shop/moradi-tabatabai-khaldun/
Xi Yang (Economics) and Robert Moffitt (Johns Hopkins University) presented their paper 'SNAP, SSI, and Economic Security of Older Adults,' at the Virtual Economics of Poverty and Policy Seminar in March and the Society of Labor Economists (SOLE) Annual Meeting in May.
Xi Yang (Economics) was invited to present two research projects at the 'Housing Affordability and Demographic Dynamics' workshop at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea in June
Xi Yang (Economics ) received a $1000 grant from the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) for the Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program in August.

Javad Tabatabai, Ibn Khaldun and the Social Sciences: Discourse on the Condition of Im-possibility. Translated by Philip Grant

07/20/2026

Announcements

There will be a political science welcome back celebration tentatively scheduled at the Denton Brewing Company (location to be finalized) on Friday August 14. The reception will also provide an opportunity to welcome our new graduate students to the program

There will be a school wide welcome session for all faculty scheduled sometime after the new semester begins.

This will be the last department announcements and notables. I intend on expanding this for school wide distribution beginning in August 17. From August on it will be a School announcements and notables that will include information from Economics, Geography and Political Science, but keep sending me your stuff!

Notables

Marijke Breuning, had her entry “Datasets on Women’s Rights in IR” recently published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies (OREIS), ed. Nukhet Sandal. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780197851456.003.0918

Catherine Chinchilla, a second-year Ph.D. student, has been selected as a recipient of the Texas Leadership Scholars (TLRS) award by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recognizing outstanding doctoral students at Texas public research universities. Renewable for up to three years, the scholarship provides financial support as well as leadership training, mentoring, and opportunities to engage with a network of scholars from across the state.

Jackie DeMeritt, Jim Meernik, and Diego Esparza (former colleague now at University of California, Riverside) had their paper "PTSD and perpetrator participation in restorative transitional justice" accepted for publication and published online at Conflict Management and Peace Science

Brian Hamel and Michael Elwell’s paper “Representation in Municipal Government: Evidence from LGBTQ+ Policy” has been accepted for publication in Urban Affairs Review

Ahmed Hamza had his article “Kurdish Politics: Toward a Quantitative Mapping of the Field” accepted for publication in PS: Political Science and Politics

John Ishiyama, presented his paper “Exploring the Relationship between Political Polarization and Academic Freedom: An initial empirical inquiry” at the Canadian Political Science Association annual meeting June 2-5, Ottawa, Canada.

John Ishiyama and Bantayehu Shiferaw (University of Ottawa) had their article “What Explains the Lack of Unity in an Insurgency? The Case of the Fano in Ethiopia” accepted in the journal, African and Asian Studies
Kimi King gave the inaugural master class for Fulbright's 250th celebration of the United States regarding "Security Management and Territorial Governance" on June 4. The Fulbright Colombia master classes are a series of lectures by scholars working with the Fulbright program where practitioners, students, and faculty can receive certificates for participating and completing work associated with the research topic presented. Anyone interested in seeking Fulbright opportunities are encouraged to meet with Dr. Biglaiser (our Fulbright representative or Dr. King) and learn more at https://international.unt.edu/fulbright/index.html.

05/12/2026

May 12 announcements and notables:

Sorry all this was a little late! The next announcements and notables will be in mid July. Then we will resume in August ( If you would like an item posted for the next issue, please send the information to [email protected]

Announcements

Everyone have an enjoyable summer break!

Notables

Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha and Paul M. Collins, Jr. are winners of the 2026 Founders Award Honoring Dom Bonafede for the Best Paper on Executive Politics by a Ph.D.-Holding Scholar for "Presidential References to Executive Actions in Public Comments on Supreme Court Cases.” They will receive their award at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association in Boston, MA in September 2026.

Alex Esparza, Political Science major who will be graduating in May, spent the Spring semester as an intern in Senator John Cornyn’s Dallas Office. He has been asked to stay on after his graduation. This is a important accomplishment and demonstrates the quality of students our program produces!


Makito Takei (PhD alum, at Tecnologico de Monterrey) and his co-authors had their article, "Misreading the Public? Rethinking Surveys in Interstate Disputes," accepted for publication in the Journal of Peace Research.
Taposi Padma Sinha had her article “The Effects of Human Rights of the Tea Plantation Workers: A Study on Hamidia Tea Estate” published in the International Journal of Social Science Research and Review

Our departmental award winners for 2026
Undergraduate awards

Scholarships:

Dad Pender Memorial Scholarship:
>Elijah Durand-Ganz
>Jawohn Ohasiri
>Bradley Breece
>Elizabeth Kiu
>Elizabeth Garza-Inigarida

Domingo Garcia Scholarship:
>Dhyana Banderas

Steven C. Poe Scholarship:
>Emeri Calloway

Gloria and Bob Cox Endowed Scholarship:
>Isabella Britain

Oscar Arias Peace Studies Scholarship:
>Bradley Breece

Robert Wahrmund Peace Studies Scholarship:
>Bradley Breece

Undergraduate Awards:

Most Outstanding Pre-Law Student:
>Emeri Callaway

Most Outstanding Comparative Politics Student:
>Alejandro Perez

Most Outstanding American Politics Student:
>Ridhi Pancharkarla
>Melsar Fuentes

Most Outstanding International Relations Student:
>Marlene Meernik

Most Outstanding Political Theory Student:
>Lydia Bell

Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student:
>Emily Baxter

Most Outstanding Undergraduate Paper
>Bradley Breece

John W. Books Memorial Award:
>Hannah Klaff

International Studies Best Student:
>Annika Kang

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Moot Court Recognition
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Advanced to Pre-Nationals Qualifier National Qualifier:

>Austin Boyd
>Sean Newman
>Maitlynn Burk

Graduating Seniors:

>Patricia Rocha
>John Obi Ifeanyiobi
>Gabrielle Gunn
>Maitlynn Burk

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Pi Sigma Alpha PSCI honor society Inductees
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>Christian Isaiah Alvarado
>Lydia Rose Bell
>Kadie Ann-Eileen Hoke
>Carolina Xavier Laydner
>Michael Victor Elwell

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Graduate Student Awards
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Scholarships:

C. Neal and Carol Tate Fund Scholarship:
>Elise Jones
>Seda Sezen Tunali
>Adriana Marcela Garcia Garcia
>Jeromey Sims
>Foad Esmaeili

Steven C. Poe Scholarship:
>Ayna Shamyradova
>Veronica Green
>Maria Lara
>Melissa Salgado

Awards:

Most Outstanding Graduate Student:
>Lanie Richards

Most Outstanding Research Assistant:
>Elise Jones

Most Outstanding Teaching Fellow:
>David Mennie

Most Outstanding Teaching Assistant:
>Madeline Silver

INST Best TA:
>Sean Cousins

Most Outstanding Graduate Papers:
>Michael Elwell
>Jeromey Sims

Watters Award in Higher Education:
>Sergio Martinez

Watters Award in Peace Prize:
>Adriana Marcela Garcia Garcia
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Faculty Awards
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John W. Books Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching:
>Marijke Breuning

Outstanding Graduate Teaching:
>Jacqueline DeMeritt

Research Excellence:
>Roman Hlatky
Presenter: Leslie Finger

Outstanding Service Award:
>Paul Hensel

Political Science Graduate Student Association Outstanding Faculty Award:
>Roman Hlatky

04/27/2026

April 27 announcements and notables:

Announcements
Reminder: Our annual departmental awards banquet will be held on May 1, BLB Atrium 5:00-7:30 pm.

Notables

Massoud Azarfam had his article "Populist Governance and the Reproduction of Crisis: A Cross-National Study of Institutional Decline" accepted for publication in the Chinese Political Science Review.

Catarina Bezerra and Catherine Chinchilla presented their papers at the Notre Dame Student Peace Conference on Apr 10-11 at the University of Notre Dame.

Catarina presented her work titled "Rethinking Peace from the Global South: Civil Resistance and Decolonial Peace in Colombia."
Catherine presented her work "Peace Requires Silence: Why Contemporary Peacebuilding is Incompatible with Liberation."
Regina Branton, Valerie Martinez-Ebers, Michelle Ramirez (UNT Phd alum at Texas A&M Kingsville) presented “The Role of Subjective Social Positioning in Immigration Policy Preferences” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago Illinois, April 23-26.

Inese Corson (INST MA student) presented her paper “The Role of Medics and Healthcare Systems in Trafficking in Persons for Organ Removal (TIPOR)” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago Illinois, April 23-26.

Jacqueline DeMeritt gave an invited talk, “Reasons, Remedies, and Responsibility: Human Rights Scholarship, Education, and Activism,” to the Program for Learning and Community Engagement (PLACE) at TAMU-Texarkana on April 21.

Michael Elwell presented "Hated into Being: Discrimination, Threat, and the Making of LGBTQ+ Linked Fate" at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago Illinois, April 23-26.

Kimi King returned from Colombia after completing a 3-week Fulbright Specialist assignment at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana-Monteria. Along with collaborators, Drs. Kate Hernandez Tirado and Daniela Orozco Poveda, the projects examine Strengthening State Governance and National Security in Colombia: Legal and Administrative Assessment of Sociopolitical Risk Management. A panel of government leaders from the national defense ministry, national police, human rights ombudsman's office and local officials participated regarding the challenges of democratic governance in conflict zones

Adriana Marcela García García, Fulbright Scholar and second-year Ph.D. student in Political Science, has been selected to receive two scholarships from the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences (CLASS) for the 2026–2027 academic year: the CLASS UNT Foundation Endowed Fund and the CLASS Dean’s Foundation Provost Fund Scholarship.

John Ishiyama presented his paper “Exploring the Relationship between Political Polarization and Academic Freedom: An initial empirical inquiry” at the International Political Science Association (IPSA) Workshop on Academic Freedom, at LUISS University in Rome Italy, on April 16.

Meilin Li, Lilly Lu (UNT PhD alum, at University of South Carolina), and Glen Biglaiser had their paper titled, "The Effect of Sexual Violence on Chinese Foreign Direct Investment" accepted at Asian Survey.

Valerie Martinez-Ebers, Michelle Ramirez (UNT Phd alum at Texas A&M Kingsville) and Regina Branton, presented their paper “Understanding Opinions on Immigration Enforcement Using the Subjection Social Position Framework” at the annual meeting of the Western Political Science Association, in San Diego CA, April 1-4.

Morgan Quinnelly presented her paper “From State Guilt to Citizen Attitudes: Investigating the Portrayal of Colonial Legacies in Secondary School Textbooks” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago Illinois, April 23-26.

Melissa Salgado presented her paper “Human Rights Language in Peace Agreements: When is there accountability?” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 23-26.
Jeromey Sims has been awarded the "Best Graduate Student Paper Award" for his paper presented at the Southwestern Political Science Association meeting in Nashville “Who Are the Fascists? Who Are the Post-Fascists?: Mass Attitudinal Correlates in Wave 7 of the World Values Survey.” He will be formally recognized at the 2027 annual meeting of the Southwestern Political Science Association in San Antonio, TX April 8-10, 2027
Yuhsien Sung presented her paper, "Making Justice Understandable," at the Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference in Chicago, IL, April 23–26, 2026.

Sungmin Yun (PhD alum, at Tec de Monterrey) Taekbin Kim (PhD alum, at Korea Defense University) and John Ishiyama presented their paper “Power-Sharing and Cabinet Stability in Post-Conflict Regimes” at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago Illinois, April 23-26.

04/13/2026

April 13 announcements and notables:

The next announcements and notables will be on April 27. If you would like an item posted for the next issue, please send the information to [email protected]

Announcements

Mark your calendars! There will be an upcoming Martin Colloquium talk on
April 17: Thomas Pepinsky (Cornell University) “Endogenous Demography and the Political Construction of Ethnic Categories: Evidence from the Malay World.” WH 215 12:00-1:30.
On April 15, Idean Salehyan will be delivering the Emile Salehyah Lecture on International Studies. This year’s talk will focus on the politics of Iran. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served at 5:30 pm and the lecture will be at 6:00 pm. Location is Gateway Center 35 Ballroom.

Notables

Ashley English presented her paper “Girl Bosses and Government Insiders: Who Has Access to the Gender Policy Council?” at the Western Political Science Association Annual Conference in San Diego, CA April 2-4 2026.

Brian Hamel has been appointed Associate Editor at Political Behavior. His term will begin in January 2027.

Ahmed Hamza presented his paper “Party Adaptation and the Electoral Limits of Ethnicized Support,” at the Western Political Science Association annual conference, in San Diego, CA. April 2-4, 2026.

Elise Jones was accepted to the Consortium on Rights Analysis and Measurement (CRAM) and the University of Rhode Island this May. She was also accepted to participate in the Summer Institute for Computational Social Sciences (SICSS) at the University of Pennsylvania this June.

Jeromey Sims presented his paper “Who Are the Fascists? Who Are the Post-Fascists?
Mass Attitudinal Correlates in Wave 7 of the World Values Survey” at the annual meeting of the Southwestern Social Science Association meeting in Nashville TN, April 2-4 2026. He also received the Pascal Ngoboka Student Travel Grant Award on April 2 (pictured below)

03/31/2026

March 30 announcements and notables:

Announcements
Mark your calendars! There will be an upcoming Martin Colloquium talk on
· April 17: Thomas Pepinsky (Cornell University) “Endogenous Demography and the Political Construction of Ethnic Categories: Evidence from the Malay World.” WH 215 12:00-1:30.
On April 15, Idean Salehyan will be delivering the Emile Salehyah Lecture on International Studies. This year’s talk will focus on the politics of Iran. Drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served at 5:30 pm and the lecture will be at 6:00 pm. Location is Gateway Center 35 Ballroom.
Notables
Janiely Garay Baretti (INST Major) presented the paper "Idea and Reality: Public Attitudes toward Power-Sharing in Northern Ireland" at the UNT Scholars’ Day on March 24, 2026.The mentors were Jackie DeMeritt and Jim Meernik
Bradley Breece (PSCI major and Conflict and Human Security Minor) presented his paper "Conditional Pro-sociality and Violence in Northern Ireland" at the UNT Scholars’ Day on March 24, 2026.The mentors were Jackie DeMeritt and Jim Meernik
Catherine Chinchilla and Catarina Bezerra were each awarded $400 CLASS Graduate Student Travel Grants to present their research at the upcoming Notre Dame Student Peace Conference sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the Keough School of Global Affairs. Catherine Chinchilla will present "Peace Requires Silence: Why Contemporary Peacebuilding is Structurally Incompatible with Liberation." Catarina Bezerra will present "Rethinking Peace from the Global South: Civil Resistance and Decolonial Peace in Colombia."
Dr. Gloria Cox, received an award from the university, recognizing her 35 years of service at UNT. She received the award at the 2026 UNT Service Recognition Award Ceremony event on March 17. Congratulations Gloria!

Julia Daniel (PSCI major and Conflict and Human Security Minor) – presented her poster "Divided City: The Role of Peace Walls in Perceptions of Security in Post-Conflict Belfast, Northern Ireland" at the UNT Scholars’ Day on March 24, 2026.The mentors were Jackie DeMeritt and Jim Meernik
Professors Jacqueline DeMeritt and Jim Meernik took 5 students to Northern Ireland over spring break to learn more about the history of the conflict known as "the troubles" in Northern Ireland. Students visited with many victims from both sides of the conflict, saw the many political murals and "peace walls" of Belfast, and traveled throughout Northern Ireland to learn more about how peacebuilding and reconciliation have been advancing. The Castleberry Peace Institute and the Conflict and Human Security minor provide these spring break and other overseas educational opportunities to students free of charge. In the past we have visited The Hague, Netherlands to learn about international law and tribunals; Colombia to learn more about peacebuilding and reconciliation, and now Northern Ireland. One of the missions of the Conflict and Human Security minor is to provide relevant, real-world experience for students so they are better prepared to understand conflict and peacebuilding and are highly qualified for jobs in these areas.

Roman Hlatky and his coauthors had their article, "Ignoring Gender Compromises the Comparability of Cross-Cultural Survey Research" accepted at Public Opinion Quarterly.
John Ishiyama presented his paper “Are some rebel party leaders more likely to renounce violence than others?” at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May21-25 2026 in Columbus Ohio.
Sanghoon Kim-Leffingwell, Risa Kitagawa, and Yu-hsien Sung presented their paper "Last Ones Standing: Local Politics and Authoritarian Symbol Removal in Taiwan” at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May 21-25, 2026, in Columbus Ohio
Meilin Li presented her paper “The effect of leader visits on civil conflicts" at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May 21-25, 2026, in Columbus Ohio
Meilin Li also presented her paper "The effect of leader visits on trade disputes" at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May 21-25, 2026, in Columbus Ohio
Julette Miranda, (PSCI major and Conflict and Human Security Minor) presented her paper "Rights, Protections, and Livelihoods: Displaced Women and Children in Colombia" - at the UNT Scholars’ Day on March 24, 2026.The mentors were Jackie DeMeritt and Jim Meernik
Morgan Poe presented her paper “The Paradox of Non-State Actors and Populist States in International Environmental Agreements" at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May 21-25, 2026, in Columbus Ohio
Idean Salehyan presented his paper “The Political Economy of Digital Repression: Evidence from the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' Protests in Iran” at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association May 21-25, 2026, in Columbus Ohio.
Jeromey Sims was named a recipient of the Pascal Ngoboka Student Travel Grant for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Social Science Association. He will travel to Nashville TN to present his research and receive the award on April 2.
Nina Sestan, (PSCI Minor) presented "Perceptions of Justice: A Comparative Study of Bosnian and Serbian View of the ICTY" - at the UNT Scholars’ Day on March 24, 2026.The mentor was Kimi King
Cheryl Tyler received her 5-year service award at the 2026 UNT Service Recognition Award Ceremony event on March 1