People

Ingrid J. Haas, Ph.D.

Pierce Ekstrom, Ph.D.

[email | faculty website | cv]

Dr. Pierce Ekstrom is an assistant professor of Political Science. He studies the causes and consequences of political disagreement. On the "cause" side, he is particularly interested in how psychological individual differences give rise to diverse political preferences and in how individuals' moral values and politicized identities create outright conflict from these differences of opinion. As for "consequences," he is interested in both the desirable effects of political disagreement (e.g., critical re-evaluations of existing practices) and its undesirable effects (e.g., political prejudice, biased information-sharing). Dr. Ekstrom has a courtesy appointment in the Psychology Department and is affiliated with the Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Minnesota and his B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Francia K. Baltazar Parra

[email]

Francia is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a research assistant in UNL's Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior. Her research interests include sustainable development, public policy, urban planning and the political socialization of race and gender. She obtained a B.A. in International Relations from ITAM (Mexico City), and is currently in the stage of dissertation-approval for a B.A. in Political Science from the same institution.

Kyle Hull

[email]

Kyle is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Saginaw Valley State University. Kyle’s research interests range in focus from political institutions to political behavior. His current research focuses on the study of attitudes towards public servants with disabilities.

Dean Jackson

José Joaquín Suárez

[email | cv]

Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from Mexico. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from ITAM in Mexico City. Before joining the program, he worked for the electoral office in his home state as an advisor. His research interests are biopolitics, public policy and administration, as well as a newfound interest in Latinx experiences in the United States.

Clarisse Warren

[email | website | cv]

Clarisse is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Austin Peay State University. Clarisse's research focuses on psychological and biological influences on political behavior, particularly within the framework of American politics. Her current research examines physiological response to incongruent policy stances and negative information about political candidates.

Molly Arnold

Molly is currently a junior, majoring in Political Science and Mathematics. Her research interests range from political campaigns to political attitudes and behaviors. After graduating, she plans to continue on to graduate school or work in a related field.

Megan Elbel

Megan is currently a senior. She is majoring in Psychology, and minoring in Political Science and National Security Studies. Outside of class, she is a member and Vice President of the UNL Juggling Club. Her research interests are political attitudes, partisanship, and democratic backsliding. After graduation, she plans to pursue a doctorate in Political Psychology, and continue to conduct research. She also hopes to eventually run for local office.

Josh Harris

Josh is a sophomore with a major in Biological Sciences and minors in Biochemistry and Political Science. He plans to finish his undergraduate career and go onto medical school (ideally here in Nebraska). From there, he plans to pursue a medical doctorate and become a physician. Outside of class, he is involved in Dance Marathon, Teammates Mentoring, Honors Peer Mentoring, and Beta Theta Pi.

Kate Ng Shi Qing

Kate Ng is a freshman with a major in Political Science and a minor in psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her current research interest ranges from the study of biopolitics to political structures and their impacts. Currently, Kate is involved with the Nebraska University Malaysian Student Association (NUMSA) and political campaign management. After graduation, she intends to attend graduate school for additional biopolitics research.

Dylan Patrick

Dylan is majoring in Political Science and Global Studies and minoring in Psychology. His research/academic interests are effective campaign strategies, apathy that people feel towards politics, and using soccer to mitigate violence. After graduating he plans on going to law school, becoming a JAG in the Air Force, and then running for Congress. 

Jessica Stump

Jessica Stump is a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Psychology with a minor in National Security Studies. Her research interests revolve around moral psychology and its application to political identity and social behavior. Additionally, Jessica is interested in developmental psychobiology and the complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors in relation to the development of political attitudes and various behavioral outcomes. Jessica plans to continue to graduate school after earning her BA at UNL. Jessica involves herself on campus through ASUN, Chi Omega, and the University Honors Program.