Fletcher PhD Graduates

Roxani Krystalli

I loved asking—and answering—feminist questions at Fletcher, whether in the classroom, at student conferences and activities, or among friends. I am now a Lecturer (UK parlance for Assistant Professor) at the University of St Andrews, where I focus on various dimensions of feminist peace and conflict studies. Fletcher’s interdisciplinary training, the focus on applications of theory in policy and practice, and the sense of community travel with me every day.

Roxani Krystalli, Class of 2020 - School of International Relations - University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Jeremy Gwinn

The decision to pursue a PhD at Fletcher has turned out to be one of the most impactful of my professional life, perhaps second only to my decision to enter military service in the first place. The experience has helped put my prior operational experience into strategic context and equipped me going forward with the necessary tools to contribute at the highest levels of U.S. national security.

Jeremy Gwinn, Class of 2020 - Chief of Staff, Army Strategic Operations Washington, DC

Rizwan Ladha

I am so grateful to Fletcher not just for a world-class education and the soft skills I learned -- which have served me immeasurably across my years of experience in national security, the aerospace & defense industry, and consulting -- but also for the deep relationships that I've carried forward with me to this day. In every single organization I've worked in, I have always found fellow alumni, and the immediate connection and deep bond that comes from having attended Fletcher is a testament to how special of a place the School is.

Rizwan Ladha, Class of 2017 - Consultant - Boston Consulting Group

Deborshi Barat

As a capital markets and corporate lawyer, I wanted to understand the role of policy and politics behind articulations of the law, including in terms of foreign investment and company strategy. While addressing client needs and market demands obviously remains important, the rough-and-tumble of everyday practice tends to insulate legal practitioners from regulatory complexities and the interface of law and policy making, especially in the global arena. Working with several foreign clients made me want to study international business laws along with their implications on international and organizational relations, investment, developmental outcomes and the political economy. Fletcher proved to be an ideal choice in this regard.

Deborshi Barat, Class of 2022 - Counsel - S&R Associates

Recent Graduate Placements

  • Name:Description:
    Polina Beliakova 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Explaining Erosion of Civilian Control: A Policy-Focused Theory

    First post-PhD position: Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellow, Dickey Center for International Understanding, Dartmouth College.

    Current position: Paul and Melonie Brophy Research Fellow, Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Aaron Melaas 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Business Associations and Government Policy for Innovation in Middle-Income Countries

    First and current post-PhD position: Associate Director for Research & Innovation at University of California Alianza MX

    Deborshi Barat 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: The Legitimacy of Investor-State Dispute-Settlement: A Framework of Analysis

    First post-PhD positions: Senior Associate, AQUILAW(an Indian law firm); Trade & Economy Advisory, Intueri Global; Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University; Associate Professor, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, India

    Current position: Counsel, S&R Associates(a Indian law firm)

    Lydia Sizer 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Should I Stay or Should I Go?: How the State Department Decides Whether to Keep Diplomats in Dangerous Places 

    First and current post-PhD position: Researcher, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP)

    Julie Zollmann 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Are New Jobs Good Jobs? Digital Driving and Labor Markets in Nairobi

    First and current post-PhD position: Independent Development Consultant, Nairobi, Kenya

    Arun Sukumar 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Experts and the Death of Discipline: What Rules for International Cybersecurity Mean for International Law

    First post-PhD position: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Leiden, Netherlands

    Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Leiden, Netherlands

  • Name:Description:
    Robert Bell 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: NATO Nuclear Burden-Sharing: What Constitutes "Free-Riding"?

    First and current post-PhD position: Distinguished Professor of the Practice and Diplomat in Residence, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, Georgia Institute of Technology

    Neha Ansari 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: "God's Wrath" to "Miracle Birds": The Evolution of the American Drone Program and Public Opinion in FATA

    First post-PhD position: Consulting Scholar, Sandia National Laboratories

    Current position: Analyst, Afghanistan War Commission, U.S. Congress

    Frances Burke 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: "Why We Went": A History of the Decision to Invade Iraq in 2003

    First post-PhD position: George P. Shultz Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow, Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (Washington, DC)

    Current positions: Operating Partner, Leadership & Strategy, Exactus Advisors (management consulting); Adjunct Professor of the Practice of National Security, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University

    Ana De Alba 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Essays on the Politics and Electoral Implications of Targeting

    First post-PhD position: Regional Chair, Department of Government and Social Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey

    Current position: Assistant Professor of International Relations, Department of Government and Social Sciences, Tecnológico de Monterrey

    Frank Sobchak 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Lost in Translation? Assessing the Importance of Language Skills and Cultural Awareness in Special Forces Advisory Efforts

    First post-PhD position: Adjunct at Joint Special Operations University

    Current position: Chair of Irregular Warfare at the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy.

  • Name:Description:
    Thomas Burke 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Anatomy of Dissent: Senior U.S. Military Leader Resistance to the Use of Force in the Post-Cold War Era

    First post-PhD positions: Deputy Commander, 7th Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA; Director, House Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs

    Current position: Deputy Commanding General, 11th Airborne Division (Arctic), Fort Wainwright, Alaska

    Benjamin Spatz 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: Cash Violence: Sanctions and the Politics of Power, and Peace

    First post-PhD positions: Visiting Research Fellow, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame; Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship, working in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence

    Current position: Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor, tenure-track), Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, South Africa

    Bretton McEvoy 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: White Reckonings: The Possibilities for Transformative Justice Contributions from Ant-Racist White Activists in the United States

    First position: Fritz Thyssen Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, The Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt, Germany

    Current position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Bayreuth, Germany

    Jeremy Gwinn 
    ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾

    Dissertation title: By, With, and Through: Explaining Effectiveness in U.S. Unconventional Warfare

    First post-PhD position: Director, Army and Special Missions, Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq (Baghdad, Iraq), U.S. Army

    Current position: Chief of Staff, Army Strategic Operations (The Pentagon), U.S. Army