Welcoming the 2025 Graduate Cohort

On Wednesday, September 24, 2024, the Department of Political Science hosted its annual New Graduate Student Orientation in the Jenkin Library. The event welcomed our incoming Ph.D. students and introduced them to faculty, staff, and peers as they begin their academic journey at UC Riverside.

The orientation began with remarks from Department Chair Dr. Kevin Esterling, followed by self-introductions from the new cohort. Graduate Student Advisor Lorena “Lori” Jaramillo, Financial and Administrative Officer Christina Gnuschke, and Administrative Assistant Lety Vazquez-Angeleri provided key information about program resources and department operations. Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Marissa Brookes then outlined academic expectations and guidance for the first year.

A cohort group photo (depicted above) marked the occasion, after which students met with their field chairs for focused discussions in each subfield:

• American Politics – Dr. Andrea Silva

• Comparative Politics – Dr. Diego Esparza

• International Relations – Dr. Steven Liao

• Mass Political Behavior – Dr. Daniel Biggers

• Political Theory – Dr. Desireé Melonas

The afternoon featured a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion session led by Prof. Nicholas “Nick” Weller, followed by presentations from Graduate Student Association President Gregory Hutchins and Vice President Donald Zarate, who introduced the department’s new Graduate Student Mentorship Program (POSC GSMP). The day concluded with a union orientation and open discussion.

We are thrilled to welcome the 2025 Cohort, whose diverse research interests span political behavior, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and political economy.

Meet the New Cohort:

• Francisca Baffour Addo – Local development, migration studies, intra-state inequalities (Comparative Politics)

• Carlos De Souza – Fake news, deepfakes, U.S. discourse, polarization, factual reality (American Politics; Mass Political Behavior)

• Benjamin Willi Gavin – Development, foreign aid, political economy (Comparative Politics; International Relations)

• Huabshiab Lee – Gender and politics, women’s political involvement, human rights (Political Theory)

• Zhi-Ying Li – Voting behavior, democratization, spatial analysis (Comparative Politics; Mass Political Behavior)

• Jaylynn Isabelle Lopez – Political participation, public opinion polling, democracy, civic engagement (Mass Political Behavior; American Politics)

• Ross Sidney Richter – Activist networks, political behavior, media & politics (Comparative Politics; American Politics)

• Nikolay Shikunov – Algorithmic governance, democratic accountability, automation (Mass Political Behavior)

• Anna Tabakina – Ontological security, propaganda, populism, Russia & the post-Soviet space (International Relations; Mass Political Behavior)

• Xiangxue Zheng – Political economy, globalization (International Relations; Comparative Politics)

We look forward to seeing the contributions this cohort will make to our department and the discipline in the years to come.