Current Researchers

Senior Researchers

Oksan Bayulgen

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

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

Talbot Andrews

Department of Political Science, Cornell University

Ph.D Stony Brook University

Talbot Andrews' research focuses on how policy design and the changing environment interact with individuals’ beliefs and attitudes to shape their behavior related to environmental policy. She is also more broadly interested in the ability of the public to hold their elected officials accountable, and how public opinion is shaped by disasters. While most of her work is based in the United States, she also works with a team studying climate change literacy across Africa. Her work has been published in journals such as The Journal of Politics, Nature Climate Change, and Political Behavior. Her book, Climate Games: Experiments on How People Prevent Disaster, is now available from the University of Michigan Press. Prior to joining the Department of Government at Cornell, she was an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut.

Carol Atkinson-Palombo

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. Student, Geography, Sustainability, Community, & Urban Studies

Thomas Bonitz is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, & Urban Studies, advised by Dr. Carol Atkinson-Palombo. Along with applying GIS to the energy transition, he is interested in urban agriculture, place-making, and the creation of community economies.

Mikayla Friday

Ph.D. Student, 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. 

Deniz Girgin

Ph.D. Student, Political Science

Deniz Girgin is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Political Science at UConn, advised by Professor Oksan Bayulgen. Her research focuses on global environmental politics and energy security, with a particular emphasis on carbon tax and its role in addressing climate change.

Current Student Researchers

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 sophomore at the University of Connecticut double majoring in Honors Political Science and Statistics. She is the president of the Public Health Learning Community, and is a part of UConn Law Society, Women In Politics, UConn Club Running, and the Learning Community Council. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering with America Reads and snowboarding.

Aliyah Aquino

Research Assistant

Aliyah Aquino is a junior at the University of Connecticut, double-majoring in History and Political Science. She’s involved on campus as a Resident Assistant, a member of the Cultural Center Council, and a volunteer with the UConn History Department. Her interests include politics, American history, and human rights, and she plans to attend law school after completing her undergraduate. In her free time, Aliyah enjoys running, cooking, and exploring art history.

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.   

Katerina (Katya) Anikeev

Research Assistant

Katerina (Katya) Anikeev is a junior studying political science and applied data analysis. Katya is interested in sustainability policies, particularly transit, and has participated in research on non-state actors, sentiment analysis, and various other topics. They are involved in Model UN, Honors for Diversity, and a few different clubs on campus. In their free time, Katya likes reading, writing, painting, and hiking.