Viviana Oquendo

/by

Viviana Oquendo is a Columbian Fulbright grantee. She completed her Ph.D. in Public Policy at Oregon State University. She worked as an MSc in Economic Sciences, supporting several areas of public policy, until her personal life unveiled her passion for peacebuilding and rural welfare. Her dissertation focused on how rural development can promote a culture of peace in countries that are overcoming civil war (such as her own home country). She acknowledges how public policy has influenced her life, so she wants to serve as a policy analyst for peacebuilding purposes.

Maham Furqan

/by

Maham completed her PhD in Public Policy at Oregon State University in 2023. As a Fulbright scholar, she examined resilience valuation in microgrid development. She completed her master’s degree in economics from the Government College University (Lahore, Pakistan) and has been working in academia and the private sector since 2013.

Casey Taylor

/by

Casey Taylor graduated in 2016 with a PhD in Environmental Science and Public Policy. Her dissertation examined the use of science in collaborative management efforts to conserve Sage Grouse populations in the West. Casey also worked with Dr. Boudet on a research project evaluating the response of local communities to large-scale renewable energy development in the West. Before arriving at OSU, Casey completed her MS in Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology at University of Michigan and spent several years working in field biology and environmental education. She is now a faculty member the University of Delaware.

Usman Siddiqi

/by

Usman Siddiqi completed his PhD in Public Policy at Oregon State University as a Fulbright scholar. After his Bachelors, Masters, and MPhil in political science with distinctions, he taught at GC University Lahore, Pakistan, for about 10 years. Apart from teaching, he has served in various capacities including editor of the Journal of Political Science, deputy director of Centre of Excellence China Studies, advisor of Parliamentary Students Society, and focal person of various international conferences. In his PhD, he studied public perceptions of energy policy in the US. He worked with Hilary on research related to public adaptation and risk mitigation behaviors/policy support in the wake of extreme weather events. Upon graduate, he took a postdoctoral position at University of Bath.

Umama Rahman

/by

Umama was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Economics from North South University in Bangladesh and her Master in Agricultural and Resource Economics with a minor in Statistics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. After her master’s, she went back to Bangladesh and worked as a lecturer at North South University. Her research areas are Energy Policy and Energy Economics. For her PhD in Public Policy, she is working with Hilary on projects related to public perceptions of offshore wind and lithium mining. In her free time, she watches movies, reads, tries new foods, spends time with family and friends, and enjoys nature.

Mahmood Muttaqee

/by

Mahmood Muttaqee completed his Ph.D. in Public Policy at Oregon State University in 2023. Hailing from Bangladesh, one of the countries worst affected by climate change, Mahmood developed a passion and zeal to acquire research capabilities in the field of environmental issues and sustainability. Before starting his Ph.D. at OSU, Mahmood completed two Masters, in Economics and Development Studies, and an undergraduate degree in Economics. His research interests center around the environmental problems that climate change is expediting and how to counter these impacts, particularly through the adoption of sustainable clean energy technologies. He worked with Hilary on a project exploring community perceptions of microgrids. After graduation, he became a postdoctoral scholar at University of Michigan.

Sadaf Photo

Sadaf Farooq

/by

Sadaf Farooq hails from Pakistan and did her undergraduate work in Politics & International Relations. She earned her master’s in development studies from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. During her master’s, she worked with UNICEF on a project focused on Universal Birth Registration in Pakistan. For her PhD, Sadaf studied local government sustainability programs in rural Cascadia.

Muhammad Aatir Khan

/by

Muhammad Aatir Khan was born and raised in the coastal city of Karachi, where he completed his undergraduate degree in Social Sciences and Liberal Arts from IBA, majoring in Political Science. During his final year, he started a research internship at the School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh, where he eventually joined as a Research and Development Coordinator after graduation. Working at the provincial education department has been the highlight of his career since it enabled him to better understand the issue of literacy and education in more nuanced ways. While it was overwhelming and frustrating to deal with the numerous issues related to bureaucracy, corruption, and poverty, it was also an amazing learning opportunity. Having developed a deep interest in education policy, he decided to pursue a master’s degree from SZABIST, where his research was focused on education in Sindh. He completed his PhD in Public Policy at Oregon State University under the Fulbright Foreign Student Program in 2022. His dissertation focused on educational reforms in Sindh, particularly looking at how policy priorities are set; how interventions are planned and implemented in the field; and how various stakeholders, primarily local and international developing partners, impact the entire process.

Timothy Pape

/by

Timothy Pape completed his PhD in the Environmental Sciences Department at OSU in 2023 researching the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program in the Columbia River Basin. He received his MS in Environmental Policy: Energy and Sustainability from the University of Denver and his bachelor’s degree in philosophy: Ethics, Law, and Value Theory from USC. He went on to an Assistant Professor position at Bowling Green State University.

Anna Karmazina

/by

Anna Karmazina completed her Master of Public Policy at OSU in 2016 and her PhD in Public Policy at OSU in 2020. She was born and raised in Tomsk (a Russian city also known as the Siberian Athens, so called because of its numerous universities and huge student population). Anna was a research assistant for the OSU Policy Analysis Laboratory project “Renewable Energy Siting in the West” where she examined the main principles of stakeholder collaboration in the process of wind energy development. Away from the books, she enjoys listening to live music and exploring new places.