Kristian Warpinski is currently pursuing a PhD in political science with a concentration in international relations and research methods at Georgia State University. Kristian earned her MA in international conflict and security from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies, and a BS in political science from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. At Georgia State, Kristian is a Presidential Fellow with the Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative, and a research assistant on a Minerva Research Initiative funded project that is mapping the mobilization of children into violent extremist organizations. Her primary areas of focus are the recruitment and roles of children in terrorist organizations (particularly in Africa), DDR and de-radicalization, as well as foreign fighter mobilization and private military contracting. The 2018 APSA meeting was Kristian’s first academic conference, and she found it to be an invaluable experience for not only learning about current research trends and emerging methodologies, but also for navigating academic socialization and networking. Being awarded the APSA First Generation Scholars Travel Reimbursement Grant made it easier for Kristian to cover the traveling expenses. She looks forward to next year’s annual meeting where she hopes to present her own research on children in Boko Haram and al-Shabaab.
About the APSA First Generation Scholar in the Profession Travel Reimbursement Grant
In 2015, the APSA Executive Council approved a new standing Committee on First Generation Higher Education Scholars in the Profession, parallel to the existing status committees on Asian-Pacific Americans, Blacks, Latinos y Latinas, LGBT Individuals, Women, Graduate Students, and Contingent Faculty in the Profession. The goal is to bring focused attention to the ways in which class, economic inequality, and mobility can affect political scientists’ ability to thrive educationally and professionally, perhaps throughout their careers. Learn more.