Steve speaks with Rachel Schmidt about her PhD research on female rebel disengagement.

Rachel Schmidt is a PhD candidate in International Conflict Management and Resolution at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. She is currently completing her fieldwork in Colombia, which involves interviewing ex-combatants from various non-state armed groups. Her research focuses on why combatants defect from insurgent groups, with comparative analysis of men and women’s pathways out of violence, as well as comparisons of defectors with ex-combatants who demobilize collectively through peace processes. Rachel also works as a senior editor for OpenGlobalRights, a leading online human rights forum. She holds an MA from NPSIA and a BA from the University of British Columbia.

Thomas Hughes talks about his PhD research on NATO military exercises.

Thomas Hughes: Having graduated with a BA(Hons) in History from Durham University, UK, in 2009, Thomas spent almost five years working in financial services before commencing an MA degree in International Studies (with a focus on International Security) in Denver, Colorado. Graduating from the two-year programme at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2016, he is now working on a PhD in the Political Studies programme at Queen's University.

Rebecca Jensen discusses her research on operational adaption as a dissertation fellow at Marine Corps University.

Rebecca Jensen is a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary’s Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, and a dissertation fellow at Marine Corps University.

Timothy Choi discusses his fascinating research on Maritime Strategy.

Timothy Choi is a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary's Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies, where he also received his Master of Strategic Studies in 2013. Before that he graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and History. He is interested in maritime and naval issues, both historical and contemporary, with writings appearing in the Canadian Naval Review, the Journal for Military and Strategic Studies, the CDA Institute's On Track and Forum, as well as with the Centre for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC). His doctoral dissertation examines the nature and character of sea power as part of the modern maritime strategies of countries with small navies during peacetime; his case studies involve the Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.

Aden Dur-e-Aden talks about her fascinating research on Islamist and white supremacist extremism.

Aden Dur-e-Aden is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Her Ph.D. research focuses on comparing the recruits and non-recruits within the radical (far- right and Islamist) groups in Canada through a gendered lens. She is a SSHRC CGS Doctoral Scholar, a Junior Affiliate at the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS), and a Graduate Associate at University of Toronto’s Centre for Critical Development Studies. She obtained her MA and BA in Political Science from UBC.

Tanya Irwin talks about her fascinating research on rebel group taxation.

Tanya Irwin is pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Toronto. She holds an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Patterson School, specializing in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in August 2017. She also holds a BA in Politics (International Relations) from Queen's University. She is interested in state-building and the relationship between revenues (natural resources, taxes, foreign aid, industry, agriculture, etc.) and accountability in governance, usually in the Horn of Africa or sub-Saharan Africa.

Alexander Salt explores how lessons learned from military operations in WWII affected US military organizational change.

Alexander Salt is a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. His research interests include American Foreign Policy, Technological Innovation, International Relations, Organizational behaviour, Canadian security policy, and Strategic studies.

Meagan Shoemaker discusses her research on how women’s deployment decisions and motivations are gendered.

Meaghan Shoemaker is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Studies at Queens University. Her research interests include NATO, human security, veterans, gender.

Sara Moller talks NATO in the Trump era.

Sara Bjerg Moller is an Assistant Professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Her research interests include military interventions, alliances, and grand strategy. She uses a variety of methods to investigate the group dynamics and interplay of conflict and cooperation in wartime.

Sarah Greco speaks about her fascinating PhD dissertation on the salience of soft power mechanisms in power transitions amongst great power rivals.

Sara Greco is a doctoral candidate of political studies at Queen’s University, an R.S. McLaughlin Graduate Fellow, and a Student Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy. Her most recent article, co-authored with Stéfanie von Hlatky, is entitled “Soft Contributions are Hard Commitments: NATO and Canada’s Global Security Agenda" and has been published in Canadian Foreign Policy Journal.