Political Violence Lab Leadership
Andrew Shaver
Founding Director
Professor Andrew Shaver is a scholar of contemporary conflict, who has taught and/or held research fellowship positions at Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Stanford University. He is as an assistant professor (political science) at the University of California, Merced. His research and commentary appear or are forthcoming in the American Economic Review, Annual Review of Sociology, Conflict Management and Peace Science, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Politics, PLOS ONE, Foreign Affairs, National Interest, and Washington Post.
Ph.D., Security Studies, M.A., Public Affairs, M.P.A., International Relations, Princeton University, B.S., Economics; International Business, Westminster College
Annie Blackburn
Chief Executive Assistant
Annie (’20) is from Owings Mills, MD. After graduating from Noble and Greenough school in Dedham, MA, Annie now attends Dartmouth College, where she is pursuing a BA in government with a minor in human geography. In addition to her involvement in the Political Violence Lab, Annie is an editor for the Dartmouth Law Journal and the co-captain of the Dartmouth Varsity Women’s Rowing Team. She also has business development experience through an internship with Tribal Capital Markets, LLC. In her free time, Annie enjoys visiting museums and listening to podcasts. After college, she hopes to attend law school.
Alexandra Leal-Silva
Deputy executive assistant
Alexandra (‘20) is from Menifee, California. She attends the University of California, Santa Barbara where she is pursuing a BA in History of Public Policy & Law, with a minor in Poverty, Inequality, & Social Justice. Outside of the Political Violence Lab. Alexandra is the Chair & Legislative Director of UCSB’s Lobby Corp where she curated legislative slates and organized Congressional lobbying. She served for three years in the External Vice President for Statewide Affairs Office. After graduation, she hopes to work in legislation before attending law school so that she may serve as a United States Attorney and eventually work in public policy.
Former Leadership
Dotan Haim
Dr. Dotan Haim co-directed the lab during the 2018-2019 school year. He is a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth's Dickey Center and future Assistant Professor at American University’s School of International Service. Dotan's work focuses on social networks and insurgency, with a focus on the Philippines. His research appears in the Journal of Peace Research, Nature's Scientific Reports, and Network Science and has been supported by EGAP’s Metaketa IV Initiative, IPA Peace and Recovery, and United Nations Development Programme, among others.
Ph.D., Political Science, University of California, San Diego, B.A., Political Science, Philosophy, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Meghan Ray
Meghna ('20) is a BA candidate in Quantitative Social Science and Chemistry minor at Dartmouth College, with a focus on global health and international development. She previously served as the Chief Executive in the lab. In addition to her position at the Political Violence Lab, she is a member of Dartmouth EMS and a Global Health Fellow at the John Sloan Global Health Fellow. Meghna works for the Healthy Heart Initiative, an NGO focused on cardiovascular health awareness among school children and communities, early detection of various risk factors, and amelioration of morbidity and mortality. After college, Meghna hopes to attend medical school.
Debora Hyemin Han
Hyemin ('20) is from Syracuse, NY. At Dartmouth, she studies government, philosophy, and history. She previously served as the Chief Executive Assistant for the lab, she serves as the associate managing editor for The Dartmouth and is a War and Peace Fellow at the Dickey Center for International Understanding. Hyemin recently studied abroad at Beijing Normal University and the University of Edinburgh for Chinese and philosophy, respectively, and spent the past winter term working as a legislative intern at the Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in Washington, D.C. This upcoming winter, Hyemin will be interning at the State Department. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school.
Justin Kramer
Justin ('21) is from Palo Alto, California. At Dartmouth, he plans to major in Government and minor in Public Policy. Outside of the PVL, Justin is a captain and chair for a Dartmouth Ultimate Frisbee team, associate editor of The Dartmouth newspaper, and President of the Random Acts of Kindness club. Justin interned at the National Disability Institute in Washington D.C., where he participated in Congressional lobbying. In his free time, Justin loves to hike in the New Hampshire wilderness, root for his hometown San Francisco Giants in baseball, and hang out with friends on the Dartmouth Green.