Graduate Students

About: Karida Giddings is a community-centered advocate who believes meaningful change starts with relationships. Her work focuses on supporting Black communities and young people as they navigate systems that often weren’t built with them in mind—whether that’s healthcare, education, or civic engagement.In her professional life, Karida works with the North Carolina Black Alliance to help […]

About: Mahzabin is a PhD student in Public Policy with prior degrees in Development Studies and Physics. Her research focuses on AI and emerging technologies, examining how policy instruments create enabling environments for innovation, technology diffusion, and consumer protection. Before starting my PhD, she worked at SNV Netherlands Development Organization, overseeing monitoring and evaluation for […]

Degrees and Credentials: Dede is a policy expert and an entrepreneur with an interdisciplinary background in management, conflict & collaboration, public administration and international relations. She is passionate about finding sustainable solutions to poverty, conflict and migration issues in Africa. Her current research focuses on US aid-based poverty reduction policy and the role of local […]

Degrees and Credentials: Erfan has earned his M.Sc. in Urban and Regional Planning and B.Sc. in Urban Planning. Research Interests: Erfan’s research focuses on data-driven approaches to urban policy analysis, with a strong emphasis on geospatial data science and sustainable urban development. Exploring how the built environment influences mobility patterns, public safety, and quality of […]

Degrees and Credentials: Victoria has a Masters of Public Health from George Washington University and a BA in Business Administration from Appalachian State. Victoria is joining the program part-time.  Victoria Lee also works as Lead Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton. Dissertation: TBA Ph.D. Expected: 2025 CV: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LJa6rlqgEC4u84kdaZtZTju_b6QXtqIe/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114000210451101448387&rtpof=true&sd=true

Degrees and Credentials: Mahrukh Maqsood, a proud alumna of UNC Charlotte, holds a Master’s in Communication Studies from the university, where she was honored as a Graduation Bell Ringer, as well as a Master’s in Political Science from Government College University, Lahore. During her time at UNC Charlotte, she served as a Graduate Life Fellow […]

Degrees and Credentials: Svetlana has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the International University of Monaco, Monaco and a Bachelor’s degree in Economic Theory from Lomonosov State University Moscow, Moscow, Russia. Dissertation: TBA Ph.D. Expected: 2026 CV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jf84HerB5mCq1MYPRgX_PYS7qQGFFGoS/view?usp=sharing

Degrees and Credentials: Master’s in Applied Economics, UNC Greensboro, Bachelor’s in Economics and Communication, Washburn University, Topeka, KS Research Interests: Inequity in Gender, Racial, Class, Technology Development and Social Capital Dissertation: TBD Publications: Piatak, J., & Mikkelsen, I. (2021). Does Social Media Engagement Translate to Civic Engagement Offline?. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 0899764021999444 Gicheva, […]

Research Interests: Economic development processes and financial management in poor countries.

About: Allegresse is a recent graduate of the Gerald G. Fox School of Public Administration,  at UNC Charlotte. She is passionate about government, community empowerment, and data-informed policy making. She hopes to bring both academic rigor and field experience to her growing career in public service Degrees and Credentials: Bachelor’s in Political Science with a […]