IPD Research Apprentices
Undergraduate Researchers
Alexis Mulkey
BA, Humanities; BA, Government IPD Member since Fall 2018 Lexie is a senior pursuing a double degree in Humanities and Government with a minor in Geography. Her academic interests include political geography and Scandinavian culture. She hopes to research the impacts of immigration on host nation’s political infrastructure and consolidated democracies. As well as studying at UT, she has attended Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, where she studied under their prestigious Peace and Conflict Department. Her future endeavors include pursuing a graduate degree focusing on political geography and urban planning. 
Benjamin Vega
BA, International Relations & Global Studies; BA, Arabic IPD Member since Fall 2018 Benjamin Vega is a senior studying International Relations and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. His interests revolve around understanding global health and the implications of globalization on public health programs as well as health specific policy. He is specifically interested in health care policy in the Middle East North Africa region, and spent the past summer in Morocco studying Arabic with the Language Flagship Program. In the future, Benjamin hopes to use his skills to work on policy that bridges global indicators and local health institutions, especially in regards to serving the health needs of under served communities. 
David Venish
BA, International Relations & Global Studies; BA, European Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 David is a senior in the College of Liberal Arts perusing a double major in International Relations & Global Studies along with European Studies. He is currently writing his undergraduate thesis on EU Security and its effects on international institutions. Through IPD, David hopes that his work with contemporary issues will help him complete additional schooling and, soon, work directly with international institutions to improve global governance. 
Devika Kumar
Plan II; BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Devika Kumar is currently a sophomore majoring in International Relations and Global Studies, and Plan II Honors. Devika is a first-generation Indian-American and thus has a strong connection to the South Asian region. This background inspired her to create The MAHI Project (Menstrual Awareness and Hygiene in India), for which she was selected, as one of ten, to receive the National Young Women of Distinction Award. Through her long-standing study of the Spanish language and culture, she also has a special interest in Latin America and its development. Devika is also pursuing coursework in Economics with hopes to further study economic gender equality in developing nations. 
Elena Ivanova
Plan II; BA, Government; BS, Public Health IPD Member since Fall 2018 Elena Ivanova is an third-year undergraduate student pursuing degrees in Public Health, Government, and Plan II Honors, with a minor in Business. She is interested in how climate change affects the public health, economic development, and citizen rights of those living in lower-income, conflict-prone countries and communities. Elena serves UT's student body through her role as the Vice President of the Senate of College Councils. She also dedicates her time to volunteering at KIPP Austin through the Plan II/KIPP partnership, and at Posada Esperanza, a transitional refugee shelter for women and children in Austin. 
Ella Pettichord
Plan II; BS, Civil Engineering IPD Member since Fall 2018 Ella is a third-year undergraduate student studying Civil Engineering and Plan II Honors. She is a two-time recipient of the State Department's Critical Language Scholarship, which allowed her to study the Urdu languages in India the last two summers. Last year, she interned with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to complete a research project on water conditions in South Asia. On campus, she's the social officer for Women in Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering (WCAE), and a member of the UT Fencing Club. 
Faridhe Puente
BA, Sociology IPD Member since Fall 2018 Faridhe is a third year undergraduate student at the University of Texas pursuing a Bachelors degree in Sociology. After pursuing research involving synthetic biology and neuroscience, she’s interested in how it affects people of different socio-economic statuses. She’s also interested in how research can affect public policies to maximize the amount of people accessing healthcare that are of low socio-economic status. Other interests include human rights, political activism, and the intersection of medicine with public policies. She has over 50 hours of volunteer service and works with local organizations to make the world a little better. 
Hochul Song
BA, Mathematics IPD Member since Fall 2018 Hochul Song is a fourth year undergraduate student majoring in Mathematics. His interests lie in the measurements of variables in social science and the procedures used to model relationships between variables. 
Jake Reynolds
BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Jake is a fourth year student majoring in International Relations and Global Studies focusing on Science, Technology, and the Environment as well as minoring in Business. He is interested in sustainable development and the innovation of new energy technology, specifically in Latin America. 
Jenny Myung
BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Jenny is an 2nd year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in International Relations and Global Studies. She is focusing on East Asia and international security. Her interests include political interaction between Asian countries, diplomacy, preventive war measures, the juxtaposition of democracy and communism, and U.S. Foreign Policy in East Asia. She has interned at Dallas City Hall in the Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs Office to help incorporate Immigrants better into Dallas' social sphere and economy. 
Jeremy Doran
BA, Government; BA, Political Communication IPD Member since Fall 2018 Jeremy Doran is a senior studying Government Honors and Political Communication with a certificate in Security Studies. Jeremy has previously worked with nonprofit The National Immigration Forum and the US House Committee on Homeland Security. He is interested in US immigration policy and the US/Mexico security dynamic. Jeremy will spend his senior year writing an undergraduate honors thesis about the United States' role in Mexico's enforcement of its southern border. 
Lillian Mauldin
BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Lillian is a Sophomore International Relations and Global Studies major with a Middle Eastern area studies concentration. She is currently studying Arabic and has research interests in culture surrounding LGBTQ+ identities in the Middle East, as well as the global spread of various economic systems and their impacts on disadvantaged populations. Lillian is the Vice President of UT Amnesty International, a student organization that holds weekly meetings to discuss solutions to issues of human rights and benefits the local Austin community through fundraising and activism. 
Mackenzie Salter
BBA, International Business IPD Member since Fall 2018 Mackenzie is an undergraduate student at UT. She is studying International Business and expects to graduate in May 2020. Her interests include international law, human rights, and civil rights. She aspires to attend law school in the future. 
Maximilian Klaunig
BA, Economics IPD Member since Fall 2018 Max is a second-year Economics major in the Liberal Arts Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin. He is interested in the economy, law and human rights. He has interned in the office of a criminal appeals lawyer and has participated in Mock Trial. After graduating, he plans on going to law school, and he currently plans on pursuing tax law. 
Meena Pyatt
BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Meena is a second year student studying International Relations and Global Studies with an International Political Economy focus and a European Studies concentration. Additionally, she is pursuing a minor in Sociology along with certificates in Social Inequality, Health & Policy as well as Business & Public Policy. Her interests lie in understanding the complexities of and alleviating global issues through the application of policy and international development. Over the summer she interned for The Borgen Project, an organization working to alleviate global poverty. Currently, she is interning at Girlstart, a nonprofit that implements STEM education programs for young girls. On campus, Meena is involved with several organizations including Generation United Nations, TX Votes, She’s the First, and Texas Royals. 
Rebecca Atwood
BA, Sustainability Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Rebecca is a Junior studying at the intersection of sustainability, rhetoric, and law. She is interested in issues of environmental justice, especially along the Texas Gulf Coast, and the growth of renewable energy technology and policy in Texas. She also takes significant interest in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and hopes to work toward justly solving the problems of global climate change. Rebecca has studied renewable energy systems in practice in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. Rebecca plans to attend law school and pursue a career in environmental law. 
Shania Robinson
BBA, Finance; BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Shania is a second year dual major in Finance and International Relations and Global Studies. Shania is from the twin island Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago. She is particularly interested in the role energy plays in economic development, and the influence of the energy sector on the geopolitical terrain. After graduation, Shania wishes to work for an international monetary agency in the field of sustainable economic development in the Latin American and Caribbean region. 
Shawnia Ward
BA, International Relations & Global Studies; BA, East Asian Studies IPD Member since Fall 2018 Shawnia is a sophomore double majoring in International Relations & Global Studies and East Asian Studies with a minor in Chinese at the University of Texas at Austin. She is interested in international policy development concerning trade rights, security and militant involvement in society, and the emerging importance of environmental protocol with relation to finance and the sustainability thereof. On campus, she is a UT Austin Peace Corps Ambassador, as well as a conference member for Global Professional Training for East and Southeast Asia. |
Graduate Researchers
Anushree Deb
MA, Public Policy IPD Member since Fall 2018 Anushree is Master's Student of Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School. Her interests focus on increasing access to basic infrastructure, impact of land-use zones on the urban poor, and urban heritage conservation in India. Prior to the LBJ School, Anushree was a Senior Associate at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. 
Kat Sisler
MA, Public Affairs; MA, Public Health IPD Member since Fall 2018 Kat Sisler is a second year Master's student pursing dual degrees in Public Health and Public Affairs. Her interests lie in international development, food security and behavioral science. Outside of her coursework, she works as a Program Assistant on the CATCH My Breath E-Cigarette Prevention Program at CATCH Global Foundation and serves as Co-President of Society of Women and Leadership through UTHealth. |