The public scholarship program is a remote fellowship that introduces political science graduate students to the intellectual and practical aspects of presenting academic scholarship to the public (https://connect.apsanet.org/centennialcenter/fellowships/public-scholarship-program/).
During the fellowship period, fellows focus on producing public-facing summaries of political science research. This involves communicating with journal editors and authors under the supervision of APSA staff. This work is shared via APSA’s blog politicalsciencenow.com, as well as on APSA social media accounts.
The Public Scholarship Program was created in collaboration with the APSA Presidential Task Force for New Partnerships, and thanks to generous support from the Ivywood Foundation.
Our fellows write public-facing, accessible summaries of cutting-edge political science research published in the American Political Science Review. Recent articles covered include work on how new technologies have changed the way we track human rights violations and the effects of electoral quotas on minority populations. You can read all of our fellows’ posts at this link: https://politicalsciencenow.com/category/public-scholarship-program/.
SYEDA SHAHBANO IJAZ
Syeda ShahBano Ijaz is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on the political economy of foreign aid in developing countries. In her dissertation, ShahBano explores the role of last-mile access to foreign aid in inducing local-level accountability in Pakistan.
ANNTIANA MARAL SABETI
Anntiana Maral Sabeti is a PhD candidate in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University. Her research is positioned in the space of gender, peace, and conflict. Her dissertation considers how and why IOs and NGOs will choose to include or exclude women and gender in peacebuilding operations.
KARRA MCCRAY
Karra McCray is a third-year student in the PhD program at Brown University, with research subfields of American politics and political theory. Her research examines ideological differences among members of race-based caucuses. Karra has worked with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to co-author the 2018 Racial Diversity Among Top US House Staff report and most recently, the Report Card on Black Chiefs of Staff to Cabinet Secretaries in the Biden Administration. Karra holds a master’s in Black politics from Howard University and a bachelor’s in Political Science and English from the University of South Carolina.
MONIQUE NEWTON
Monique Newton is a fourth-year PhD Candidate in the Department of Political Science at Northwestern University, where she studies American politics and political methodology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of urban politics, race and ethnic politics, political behavior, and political psychology. A mixed-method scholar, she employs ethnographic, interview, survey, and experimental methods to examine Black political behavior in American cities in the United States. Her dissertation project explores how Black neighborhoods in the United States respond to the killings of Black Americans by police officers. She currently resides in Chicago, IL.
ANGIE TORRES-BELTRAN
Angie Torres-Beltran is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Government at Cornell University. Her research interests include violence, gender, institutions, and political behavior. Angie’s research focuses on the effects of violence against women on political participation and justice, and the mediating role of state and non-state institutions in which these women interact. She runs the Gender and Political Participation Graduate Working Group, a workshop for graduate students and is an advocate for first-generation and minority students interested in pursuing higher education. She received her BA in international and global studies from the University of Central Florida. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Her work has been published in PS: Political Science & Politics and Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 
LEANN MCLAREN
Leann Mclaren is a PhD candidate at Duke University where she studies American politics with a focus on race, ethnicity, and politics. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship recipient (NSF-GRFP) and an APSA Minority Fellowship Program recipient. Leann’s dissertation explores how Black immigrant candidates navigate identity in political campaigns. Her other projects include mapping Black political behavior generally, specifically in the realms of social movements, and political participation. Leann holds a BA from the University of Connecticut and was an APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute Scholar. She’s also active with the Merze Tate Society at Duke, which aims to promote inclusionary spaces for graduate students of color in political science. ▪
