Alianna Casas (she/her/ella) is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy. Her subfields are international relations and comparative politics. Her research interests include gender in conflict, rebel governance, and illicit markets. Currently, Alianna is researching how individual-level characteristics shape women’s roles in conflict. Additionally, she is working on a project with her advisor, Dr. Javier Osorio, looking at how the close election of female politicians influences the incidence of gender-based violence during the Colombian conflict. Prior to attending the University of Arizona, Alianna received her BS in business economics and political science and her MA in applied economics from Western Kentucky University. Alianna is a proud alumnus of the University of Arizona Graduate Center’s University Fellows Program (2023-2024) and Western Kentucky University’s Distinguished Minority Fellowship Program (2022-2023). After completing her doctoral studies, Alianna plans to pursue a career in academia where she can empower future generations of Chicana scholars.
The APSA Diversity Fellowship Program (DFP), formerly the Minority Fellowship Program, was established in 1969 as a fellowship competition to diversify the political science profession. The DFP provides support to students applying to, or in the early stages of, a PhD program in political science. Since its inception, the DFP has designated more than 600 fellows and contributed to the successful completion of doctoral political science programs for over 100 individuals. APSA has once again awarded a new cycle to provide support for PhD students currently in their first or second year as of Spring 2024. Please join us in congratulating the 2024-2025 class of fellows.
- Learn more about DFP at https://apsanet.org/dfp