AU’s School of International Service is honored to welcome 11 new full-time faculty members for the 2022-2023 school year. Each faculty member is an expert in their field, bringing extensive research and practical experience to the classroom and their students. Meet these new faculty members below, and learn more about their interests and courses.

Sumitra Badrinathan joins SIS as an assistant professor. She received her PhD in political science from the University of Pennsylvania and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford. Her research interests focus on political communication in South Asia, with an emphasis on new media platforms’ effect on misinformation. She teaches courses on political misinformation, conspiracy theories, and experimental investigative methods.

Samantha Bradshaw joins AU as an SIS assistant professor and associate faculty member at the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology (CSINT.) She received her PhD from the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. Her research focuses on the role of digital technology in democratic and online ecosystems. She teaches courses in digital technology, policy, and ethics.

Ambassador Piper Campbell joins SIS as a Hurst Senior Professional Lecturer and administrative director of the US Foreign Policy and National Security (USFP) and Global Governance, Politics, and Security (GGPS) programs. She holds an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and has more than 30 years of experience in diplomacy. Her research focuses on East Asia and navigating multilateral organizations, and she teaches courses on US-China relations, Indo-Pacific international security, and global politics.

Jonathan Crock joins SIS as a professional lecturer. He holds a law degree from the University of London, and his research focuses on human rights and international law with an emphasis on the human right to democratic decision-making and legal developments in democratic practices. He teaches various courses in human rights and international affairs.

Mariam Durrani joins SIS as a professorial lecturer. She holds a joint PhD in anthropology and education from the University of Pennsylvania. As a decolonial feminist scholar and linguistic anthropologist, her research focuses on global racialization, migration, education, and the geopolitics of war. She teaches various courses in intercultural communication.

Samuel Johnson joins SIS as a professional lecturer. He holds a PhD from George Mason University, and his research focuses on post-conflict political economies and reconstruction, international aid, and development finance. He teaches courses in quantitative research methods and peace, global security, and conflict resolution.

Robert Koopman joins SIS as a Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer. He holds a PhD in economics from Boston College and formerly served as the World Trade Organization’s chief economist. His research focuses on applied economics, and he teaches courses on international economics and climate change global trading.

Angela Pashayan joins SIS as a professorial lecturer. She holds a PhD in political science and international relations from Howard University, and her research focuses on international development and reducing extreme poverty. She teaches courses on international studies research and the relationship between gender and development.

Rick Rowden joins SIS as a professorial lecturer. He holds a PhD in economic studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and his research focuses on long-term economic development strategies, inter-regional economic relations, and structural reforms of global financial architecture. He teaches courses in comparative political economy, international economics, economic development, and global economic governance organizations.

Brandon Sims joins SIS as a professorial lecturer. He holds a PhD in international relations from American University, and his research focuses on violent and non-violent conflicts, peacebuilding, and conflicts in India and Indonesia. He teaches courses on quantitative research methods and peace and conflict resolution.

Alexandria Wilson-McDonald joins SIS as a professorial lecturer. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Florida. Her research focuses on the politics of gender and gendered elements of de-democratization and social movement activism in central-eastern Europe. She teaches courses on international studies research and identity, race, gender, and culture.