We are proud to have outstanding students on the job market. For a list of our placement candidates and brief sketches of each, please select a field below.
Political Science & International Affairs−+
Political Science & International Affairs
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ALYSON HENDRICKS-BENTON
PhD, Expected 2026
Fields of Study:
Judicial Politics, Constitutional Law, Digital Politics, Gender and Race
Dissertation Committee:
Susan Haire (co-chair), Teena Wilhelm (co-chair), Richard Vining, Laura Moyer
Dissertation Title:
You’re a Woman, So What? The Impact and Influence of Gender on State High Courts
Alyson Hendricks-Benton is a PhD candidate studying political science with a focus on law and courts. Additional areas of study include the impact of race and gender on political processes, the influence of media, and Constitutional law. She has been Instructor of Record for classes such as Gender, Law, and Politics, Criminal Procedure, and Introduction to American Government. Her dissertation focuses on gender in state high courts, examining if female justices exert influence over case outcomes, legal reasoning and prose, and case salience after publication. Some of her publications include “Case Salience in the State Supreme Courts: A Research Update” with Teena Wilhelm and Rich Vining and “Gender and Racial Influences on Decisionmaking” with Susan Haire and Vanisha Kudumuri. She believes collaborative work is one of the greatest things about the diverse pool of knowledge political science has to offer and welcomes working with colleagues and undergraduate students. This is a passion she followed through the UGA at Oxford Program, where she served as a graduate assistant in Spring 2022 and Spring 2023. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, spending time with her husband and dogs, and traveling the world with her family.
SOLBI KIM 
PhD, Expected Spring 2026
Fields of Study:
Political Behavior, Public Opinion, Political Trust, Party Polarization
Dissertation Committee:
Shane Singh (major professor), Markus M.L. Crepaz, Alexa Bankert
Dissertation Title:
From Trust to Action: Examining the Dynamics Between Trust and Political Behavior in Democracies
Solbi is currently a PhD candidate for the International Affairs Department. She is the Instructor of Record for INTL 1100: Introduction to Global Issues and INTL 4315: Comparative Democracy. I have previously taught INTL 4305: Comparative Public Opinion and Participation and worked as a Teaching Assistant for POLS 1101: Introduction to American Government and INTL 3300: Introduction to Comparative Politics. Her approach to teaching focuses on promoting critical thinking and active participation through comparative analysis and real-world applications. She wants to foster an inclusive teaching climate that values varied perspectives and analytical skills.
Solbi’s dissertation explores the complex relationship between political trust and political activity. It offers a new viewpoint on how political trust affects voter turnout in low-income democracies and party polarization. In addition, her research program includes a survey experiment aiming to study the direct relationship between political trust and party polarization. With this research, she hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics that promote political engagement and democratic stability.
When she’s not in class, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis, reading mystery novels, and watching true crime documentaries.
Karlee Kimbrell
PhD, Expected Summer 2026
Dissertation Committee:
Geoffrey Sheagley (Major Professor), Gbemende Johnson, Teena Wilhelm
Dissertation Title: Perceiving the Political Self: Racial Authenticity, Representation, and Transforming American Government Education
Karlee is currently a Ph.D. candidate studying Political Science at the University of Georgia. Her research examines how identity shapes political behavior and representation in American democracy. She is particularly interested in understanding the constraints faced by marginalized groups in the political system, from the strategic dilemmas Black politicians face when signaling authenticity to multiple audiences, to how experiences with discrimination influence citizens’ attitudes toward social movements and democratic institutions. Through survey experiments and observational data, Karlee investigates questions about racial authenticity, legislative preferences, and civil liberties, with special attention to how partisan and racial identities intersect to shape political perceptions.
Beyond traditional research, she is committed to translating scholarly findings into practical applications for political science education. She develops inclusive pedagogical resources that center marginalized political experiences in American government curricula, particularly in areas like federalism and public opinion that have traditionally overlooked diverse perspectives. This work bridges my empirical research on representation with my commitment to creating learning environments where all students see their experiences as central to the political narrative.
Public Administration & Policy−+
Public Administration & Policy
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Ji Hyeun Hong
PhD, Expected May 2026
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Website
Fields of Study: Public Administration, Public Management, Organizational Theory, Decision Making, Executive Administration, Administrative Decentralization
Dissertation Committee: George A. Krause (chair), Hal G. Rainey, Gregory A. Porumbescu, Susan M. Miller
Dissertation Title: How Administrative Decentralization Shapes Performance of Unemployment Insurance Programs in the American States: An Organizational-Theoretic Approach
My name is Ji Hyeun Hong, and I am a doctoral candidate in Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. I expect to graduate in May 2026. As a public management scholar grounded in organizational theory, I study how the structural designs and task environments of government organizations interact with individuals to shape organizational performance and the delivery of public services. My work has appeared or is forthcoming in journals including the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART), the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM), and the International Public Management Journal (IPMJ).
Prior to my doctoral studies, I earned my M.P.A. from Seoul National University and a B.A. with dual majors in International Studies and Public Administration from Korea University.
Miguel Antionio G. Estrada
PhD, Expected May 2026
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Website
Fields of Study:
Health Policy (substance use, health insurance, health taxes), Social Equity, Health Behavior
Dissertation Committee:
Amanda J. Abraham (chair), W. David Bradford, and Emily C. Lawler
Dissertation Title:
State-level substance use policies and their health outcomes
Hi! I am Miguel Estrada.
My research primarily deals with the intersection of public policy and health behavior, and how this relationship impacts social equity. My work explores the consequences of health policies within the context of individual and environmental factors, both in the Philippines and the United States. I focus on issues with significant social equity implications, encompassing substance use, health insurance, and health taxes. Among the topics I am currently working on are Medicaid managed care, alcohol and opioid use disorders, and smoking and smokefree policies.
I am a PhD candidate at the Department of Public Administration & Policy in the University of Georgia. Prior to entering doctoral studies, I worked as researcher and consultant for about a decade in government and multilateral organizations, including the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the Philippine House of Representatives, Philippine National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization. I was also an instructor of undergraduate Health Economics and Policy.
Melanie Waddell
PhD, Expected May 2024
Curriculum Vitae
Personal Website
Fields of Study:
Public Finance, Disasters, Emergency Management, Public Policy
Dissertation Committee:
Katherine Willoughby (chair), David Bradford, and Felipe Lozano Rojas
Dissertation Title:
How do States Budget for the Worst?
My name is Melanie Waddell and I am a doctoral candidate in Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. I expect to graduate in May 2024. I study governments’ efforts to plan for, understand, and respond to natural weather-related disasters, crises, and emergencies, primarily through a public finance and public policy lens.
My current work focuses on states as important managers in emergency management networks, local and state policy planning for severe disasters, and how budgeting decisions for disasters are tied to financial outcomes for states. My solo-authored paper, “Repeat Audit Findings: How FEMA Responds to Feedback”, is currently under review at the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. It focuses on questions of recurring problems experienced by local governments impacted by disasters and how FEMA handles that feedback, with findings showing that feedback is not utilized consistently, and that there are regional variations in addressing these recurring problems.
I have taught well-received sections of Introduction to American Government as a Teaching Assistant. I have also taught two courses, Introduction to Public Administration and Public Administration and Budgeting, as an Instructor of Record. My course evaluations are consistently high, and I won the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in February 2022.
Prior to my time at UGA, I received my Master’s from Northeastern University in Political Science, I worked at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations in Washington D.C., and I worked as a paralegal at a law firm specializing in corporate nursing home negligence.
