Senior Researchers
Oksan Bayulgen
Department of Political Science
Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin
Oksan Bayulgen received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2003. She teaches a range of comparative politics courses, including introduction to comparative politics, politics of Russia and the former Soviet Union, comparative democratization, foreign policy of Russia, politics of oil, introduction to non-western politics and sustainable energy. Her research focuses on the political economy of energy and democratization in the post-Soviet and the Middle East regions. She has conducted extensive field-work in Azerbaijan, Russia, Norway, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. She is currently working on a project analyzing the politics of renewable energy development in Turkey.
Author of Twisting in the Wind: The Politics of Tepid Transitions to Renewable Energy (University of Michigan Press 2022)
Lyle Scruggs
Department of Political Science
Ph.D. Duke University
Professor Scruggs specialties are political economy, social welfare policy, environmental politics and quantitative research methods. Professor Scruggs is a co-Director of the Comparative Entitlements Dataset Project (CWEP), and the Energy and Elections Lab, an affiliate of the Center for Environmental Science and Engineering (CESE), a member of the Human Rights Institute’s Economic and Social Rights Group. Professor Scruggs has been a Visiting Scholar at the Quality of Government Institute in Gothenburg, Sweden (2017), the Russell Sage Foundation in New York City (2011-12), and the University of Edinburgh (2004).
Talbot Andrews
Department of Political Science, Cornell University
Ph.D Stony Brook University
Carol Atkinson-Palombo
Department of Geography
Ph.D. in Geographical Sciences, Arizona State University
Having spent five years as a National Science Foundation IGERT scholar in Urban Ecology at Arizona State University, Dr. Atkinson-Palombo has been trained to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to pursue use-inspired policy-relevant research. She uses geographical techniques such as GIS-based spatial analysis, statistical modeling, and qualitative methods to assess the impact of policies intended to promote sustainable cities. Much of her work to date has focused on transportation sustainability, which shapes a wide array of societal concerns such as air pollution, land use, global climate change, and social and environmental equity.
An emerging area of interest is the ongoing transition to a low carbon economy in the United States, and the debates about what role technology will play in this transition. She is also interested in understanding what factors shape the social acceptance of technology, particularly renewable energy technologies.
Adam Gallaher
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University
Ph.D University of Connecticut
As a broadly trained geographer, the main goal of Adam’s research is to better understand the various human-environment interactions of energy systems so that we might chart a path towards decarbonizing the energy sector without placing unnecessary pressure on existing environmental systems. His current research aims to inform sustainable solar development by identifying key biodiversity and ecosystem-service based values across agriculture, water, forests, and the built environment in New York State. The goal is to holistically understand the various trade-offs required to accomplish both energy and conservation objectives.
Adam primarily leverages geographic information systems and geospatial models to answer a range of questions related to how humans interact with their energy systems and in turn how those systems interact with the surrounding environment. Prior to joining Cornell, his dissertation research investigated energy transitions across multiple technologies, such as, electric vehicle adoption, solar energy and ecosystem service trade-offs, and cross-country comparisons of offshore wind development in the North Atlantic. In his free time, Adam enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and building LEGO.
Graduate Student Researchers
Thomas Bonitz
Ph.D. Candidate, Geography, Sustainability, Community, & Urban Studies
Thomas Bonitz is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, & Urban Studies who graduated from UConn in 2024 with a double major in Geographic Information Science and Economics. Thomas is advised by Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo, with whom he researched the impact of commercial-scale solar installations on nearby property prices as an undergraduate. As a PhD student, he is interested in sustainability pedagogy and applying GIS and econometric methods to contribute knowledge informing the just transition from an extractive economy to a regenerative one.
Mikayla Friday
Ph.D. Candidate, Engineering Education
Mikayla is a third-year PhD student studying Engineering Education, advised by Dr. Desen Özkan. She completed her B.S. in Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida in 2023. Her research interests include sociotechnical systems, sustainability, and renewable energy practices. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, making wheel-thrown pottery, and spending time with her friends.
Current Student Researchers
Jack Dennison
Research Assistant
Jack Dennison is a senior at UConn double majoring in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Applied Data Analysis. He is the president of the UConn Geography Club and is passionate about the intersection of data science and geography. Outside of academics, Jack is a big fan of UConn basketball and the New York Mets.
Josh Haslun
Research Assistant
John Haslun is a junior at the University of Connecticut. He is an Honors Political Science major with minors in English and Economics, and is passionate about all domains of politics and public policy. An active member of UConn student life, he served two summers as an Orientation Leader and is currently a Resident Assistant for the Humanities House Learning Community. His extracurricular pursuits include UConn Model United Nations, where he serves as Assistant Director-General, and UConn Film Appreciation Club, where he is Vice President. He is excited to be part of the lab this semester and contribute to research within Political Science!
Alex Demarrais
Research Assistant
Alexander DeMarrais is a Junior from Trumbull, CT who is majoring in Psychological Sciences. He is a member of the honors program and plans to attend law school after completing his undergraduate degree. He is interested in politics, law, renewable energy/clean technology, and is striving to work within the intersection of these fields after he graduates.
Adrish Das
Research Assistant
Adrish Das is a Junior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. Recently, he started an internship as a Judicial Intern at the CT State Judicial Branch. He is also the Secretary of UConn College Democrats and an active member of the Special Program in Law, the Honors Program, and the Indian Student Association. Outside academics, Adrish enjoys watching films, playing guitar, and listening to music. He is from Trumbull, Connecticut, and graduated from Trumbull High School in 2022.
Grace DiTunno
Research Assistant
Grace DiTunno is a freshman political science and statistics double major at the University of Connecticut. She is a part of UConn Law Society, Empowering Women in Law, UConn Club Running, the Public Health Learning Community, and the Learning Community Council. She is from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and graduated from Rocky Hill High School in 2024.
Atice Zulfi
Research Assistant
My name is Atice Zulfi and I am a junior majoring in political science with a minor in French on a pre-law track. I am very passionate about elections and the science behind electoral behavior. On my free time I love to spend time with friends and family, run, and drink lots of coffee!
Aliyah Aquino
Research Assistant
Aliyah Aquino is a sophomore at the University of Connecticut, double majoring in History and Political Science. She is a member of the Cultural Center Council, Empowering Women in Law, and the Dominican Students Association. Aliyah also serves as a Resident Assistant and volunteers with the UConn History Department in her free time.
Emma Dutil
Research Assistant
Emma Dutil is a junior at the University of Connecticut double majoring in Honors Political Science and Environmental Studies. She is an intern at both UConn’s Office of Sustainability and UConn’s Natural Resources and Conservation Academy (NRCA). In her free time, Emma is involved in UConn’s Outing Club and enjoys spending time outdoors.