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.

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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.