Angela Chesler 

Welcome! I am a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania. I received my PhD in Political Science and Peace Studies in the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame.      

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My research examines the causes and downstream consequences of political violence. In my dissertation, Politics after Autonomy: Repression, Rebellion, and Revision, I investigate the conditions under which territorial autonomy impacts state violence against civilians, and the broader implications civilian-centered violence has for power relations and security. Another facet of my research investigates the politics of global environmental crises and how they intersect with violent conflict and peace. I examine how climate change and environmental shocks shape the dynamics of political violence through channels such as migration, as well as how environmental cooperation is achieved in the context of volatility and fragility. My projects leverage mixed methods for evidentiary rigor, with a particular emphasis on advanced statistical techniques. I am particularly interested in developing original cross-national datasets (such as the Territorial Autonomy Dataset and Environmental Displacement Dataset) that open new avenues for analyzing urgent global challenges.  

 

My projects have received support from the International Peace Research Initiative, Institute for Social Research, the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Environmental Change Initiative, among others. I have published articles in Climatic Change and Natural Hazards Review, and I currently have articles under review in Journal of Peace Research (R&R), Global Environmental Politics (forthcoming), and Climate Policy (forthcoming). 

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I received my MA in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University's School of International Service and my BS in Economics and International Affairs from Georgia Tech. Before doctoral study, I worked as a researcher at the United States Institute of Peace. When I am not teaching or doing research, I prefer to spend my time outdoors, ideally hiking or playing sports, especially soccer and badminton. A few times a week, I coach a youth girls soccer team. I'm also an avid animal lover and volunteer with the LifeLine Animal Project.    

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Contact: achesler@hks.harvard.edu