MELISSA SAMARIN
PHD CANDIDATE, POLITICAL SCIENCE

WELCOME
Hello! I am a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. My research in comparative politics and international relations broadly spans the politics of non-democratic states.
I study citizen-state relationships in the Russian Federation, the extent to which formal appeals and e-government usage corresponds to particular political attitudes and shapes political participation amongst Russian citizens.
I also work on projects on international development, the role that foreign aid and international and regional actors play in democratization and authoritarianism.
I have extensive fieldwork experience across Russia and have previously lived in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.
I hold an MSc from the University of Oxford's REES programme and a BA from Whittier College. I have consulted on projects for the United States Embassy in Moscow, have previously worked at UNHCR, and am a current researcher with UNU-WIDER.
CONTACT
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Political Science
210 Social Sciences Building
Berkeley, CA 94720
Please reach out with any inquries about my research or ongoing projects. The best way to reach me is: msamarin[at]berkeley[dot]edu