What attracted you to UGA?
EL: UGA has a fantastic community of scholars that I鈥檓 so excited to be a part of! In addition to all of the interesting and important research that is being done, everyone I鈥檝e met has been very supportive and friendly.

Where did you grow up?
EL: I grew up outside of Lexington, Kentucky, way out in the country. My parents still live there and I love going back to visit.

What are you working on that you’re most excited about?
EL: I have a couple of new projects on flu and HPV vaccination policy that I鈥檓 pretty excited about. They focus on analyzing not only the direct effects of the policies on vaccination rates, but also go farther and look at spillover effects of the policies to other outcomes, such as school absences and uptake of other preventive care, and to other non-targeted groups. These analyses show that the benefits of these vaccination policies go far beyond just increasing vaccination rates, which I think is very important and useful for policy makers.

What was your favorite part of your college experience?
EL: Probably the friendships that I developed. In terms of a specific experience, though, I would have to say my semester abroad in New Zealand. New Zealand is a gorgeous place and it really made me fall in love with traveling.

Please tell us about your research interests.
EL: I鈥檓 very interested in the determinants of infant and child health, and how that affects later life economic outcomes. In particular, I think it鈥檚 important to study how public policies interact with and shape these types of outcomes.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?
EL: Mostly I like to spend time outdoors 鈥� hiking and exploring new places. I also really enjoy reading and crafting, and lately have gotten into crossword puzzles (although I鈥檓 terrible at them!).

Please tell us one fun fact about you.
贰尝:听During my semester abroad in New Zealand I bungee-jumped off the third highest bungee in the world. If I ever make it back there I would love to do it again.

What is one goal you have for yourself for the next year?
EL: Professionally, I would like to get the last chapter of my dissertation published. A personal goal is to keep up with the training of my new puppy (my husband and I just got a standard poodle puppy named Blue).

Who inspires you in your research or career?
EL: I鈥檓 very inspired by a number of strong female economists, such as Janet Currie and Anna Aizer, who have broken a lot of boundaries in the profession and who consistently produce important and impactful research. Also economists such as Jon Gruber, who has been able to convert health economics research into very tangible policy that has helped improve the lives of a lot of people.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
EL: Teleport 鈥� I think it would be amazing to be able to be anywhere in the world at the drop of the hat. It would make travel and seeing family and friends so much easier!

What advice do you have for 快猫短视频 students?
EL: Work hard, but don鈥檛 forget to enjoy the experience. I鈥檓 a firm believer in work/life balance, and it鈥檚 something I consciously strive for in my own life.

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What attracted you to UGA?
GS: Many things! Athens is a desirable location and UGA has a great reputation as an institution committed to strong teaching and research. 快猫短视频 in particular is on an excellent trajectory and political science is building out their expertise in political behavior, which is what I study. The opportunity to be a part of building that area is really exciting.

What are you working on that you’re most excited about?
GS: Lots of projects. There are a couple of that stand out at the moment though. The first examines how much weight people place on different dimensions of public policies when deciding whether they support or oppose them. For instance, do people judge policies based on who they think benefits from the policy vs. the mechanism used to implement the policy, like cutting taxes.

The other project that I鈥檓 just starting on is a collaborative effort that looks at the content of people鈥檚 beliefs about voter fraud. We allow people to give in-depth open-ended responses after being asked to tell us what they think defines voter fraud. My collaborator and I think we are going to find a lot of depth here, including evidence that people have pretty diverse views about what voter fraud means.

What was your favorite part of your college experience?
GS: Being a part of a diverse community. I was able to grow with a cohort of other students from a variety of backgrounds.

Please tell us about your research interests.
GS: I study American politics and political psychology. In particular, my research examines how people make political decisions and the sources of their beliefs about politics. I also study political parties and polarization.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?
GS: I have an 18-month old son, so most of my free time is spent trying to keep up with him. Otherwise, I enjoy cooking and hiking. I鈥檓 looking forward to exploring outdoor areas around Athens and in Georgia more broadly.

What is your favorite food?
GS: It鈥檚 very hard to pick just one. I really enjoy Vietnamese food, especially Pho.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
GS: It will sound pretty cheesy, but I鈥檓 proud of my son. His growth is due to many people and I鈥檓 happy to have contributed!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
GS: Flight. Anything to avoid waiting for a plane at the airport.

What advice do you have for 快猫短视频 students?
GS: Explore. Take courses that sound interesting to you. Study abroad. Join student organizations. Complete an internship. College is a great opportunity explore your interests and to find out what really drives you.

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Mollie Cohen received her PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University. From 2017-2018, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Latin American Public Opinion Project and a postdoctoral researcher with the Trans-Institutional Brazil Health Policy Project. Cohen鈥檚 research focuses on elections, public opinion, voting behavior, and political representation, especially in the Latin American region. She will be teaching Introduction to Comparative Politics this fall.

What attracted you to UGA?

MC: The IA department is a very young and research active environment, and seemed like an exciting 鈥� and very collegial! 鈥� place to work. On top of that, Athens seemed like an awesome place to live.

What are you working on that you’re most excited about?

MC: I鈥檓 currently working on a book manuscript that examines why individuals cast blank and spoiled votes in Latin America and the world. These protest votes are cast at very high rates in some countries 鈥� they often 鈥渂eat鈥� the first-place candidate in legislative elections! 鈥� but scholars have tended to treat them as voter errors. Contrary to much existing scholarship, I find that much invalid voting in presidential elections isn鈥檛 accidental and isn鈥檛 an expression of anti-democratic attitudes. Rather, individuals intentionally invalidate their ballots in protest of the slate of candidates available or the policies those candidates propose. The book also looks at whether and how campaigns promoting invalid voting are successful. While these 鈥渁gainst-all鈥� campaigns receive a lot of news coverage, I find that they are only rarely able to successfully mobilize voters to spoil their votes, and that they are best able to do so when they are led by very popular individuals with a clear and convincing grievance to protest.

What was your favorite part of your college experience?

MC: During my last year at UCSD, I had the opportunity to participate in the Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program. I went to Mexico and Los Angeles to conduct survey and semi-structured interviews with migrants in the U.S. that came from a small town in Mexico, and with citizens living in that town. That experience convinced me to pursue a career in public opinion: I really enjoyed developing survey questions, interviewing respondents, and writing up the results for publication. It was hard work, but was also extremely gratifying.

Please tell us one fun fact about you.

MC: As a child, I lived in Mr. Roger鈥檚 (actual, real-life) neighborhood. We ran into him on the street.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?

MC: Working in a place with so much school spirit!!

What is one goal you have for yourself for the next year?

MC: To run my tenth half marathon.

Do you have any pets? If so, what kind(s)?

MC: Yes! My dog Nelson is a Boston Lab (a black lab/ Boston terrier 鈥� at least, that鈥檚 what we think). He鈥檚 a very good boy.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

MC: Finishing my Ph.D.

Who inspires you in your research or career?

MC: My grandparents, and many strong female mentors.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

MC: To speak any language fluently without studying it.

What advice do you have for 快猫短视频 students?

MC: First, get to know your professors! We are all here in part because we want to interact with you and talk about your ideas and interests. A related bonus is that students who come to office hours perform better in class, without fail.聽Second, take care of yourself! School and your social activities are important, but your physical and mental health are more important.

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What are you working on that you’re most excited about?
MA: I鈥檓 currently working on a book about government formation in African democracies. I鈥檓 particularly interested in how different parties with legislative seats bargain with each other, and how the president or prime minister builds a strategic coalition out of the parties in the legislature.

What was your favorite part of your college experience?
MA: My favorite part of college was trying classes in lots of different departments, and getting involved in activities like orchestra and the student newspaper.

Please tell us about your research interests.
MA: My research examines executive-legislative relations in African democracies. One aspect of executive-legislative relations that I study is the formation of governments, and how the composition of the legislature influences the type of government that forms. While my work covers African politics broadly, I am especially interested in French-speaking African countries 鈥� I have spent time in Burkina Faso and Senegal for my research.

How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?
MA: My hobbies are running and playing the violin. I love signing up for half marathons, and I鈥檒l be running the AthHalf in October!

What is your favorite food?
MA: It would be easier to tell you what I don鈥檛 like! I especially love trying new foods from all over the world.

Please tell us one fun fact about you.
MA: I taught English in France after I graduated from college.

What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
MA: I鈥檓 very excited to teach classes on comparative politics in 快猫短视频, and get to know my way around Athens!

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
MA: I think I have two categories: my greatest physical accomplishment was running a marathon, and my greatest mental accomplishment was defending my dissertation!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
MA: Teleportation!

What advice do you have for 快猫短视频 students?
MA: Get involved in clubs and activities 鈥� it鈥檚 a great way to meet people with common interests. Also, seek out information about the resources that UGA has for you! There are tons of opportunities for scholarships, research opportunities, and internships 鈥� but you have to find them!

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