Current Students

The following are select graduate degree candidates.

Kamakani Albano

Kamakani Albano

Email: albanodc@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Abolition Feminisms, Indigenous Pasifika Queer Feminisms, Hawaiian Independence, Labor Organizing, Demilitarized Futures

Advisor: Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua

Ariel Mota Alves, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ariel Mota Alves

Email: motaal2@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Political Ecology, Post-development, Environmental Changes, Climate Change, Land Rights, Southeast Asia Politics, Timor-Leste Politics

Advisor: Ehito Kimura

Samantha Marley Barnett, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Samantha Marley Barnett

Email: smb2@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Chamoru Liberation, Demilitarization, Abolition, Indigenous Sovereignty

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Randizia Crisostomo, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Randizia Crisostomo

Email: rbcrisos@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Indigenous Resurgence, Pasifika Feminisms, Chamoru Agency/Activism in Guåhan, the Marianas and the Diaspora, De-occupation and Mili(Tourism) in Oceania, Inafa'maolek as Praxis

Advisor: Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio

Boyd DeLanzo, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Boyd DeLanzo

Email: delanzo@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, International Relations, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Complexity Theory, Space Policy, Space Futures, Geotechnics, Competition, China

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Aaron A. Donaldson, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Aaron A. Donaldson

Email: aarondon@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Afro-Indigenous Philosophy; Black & Indigenous Existentialism; Existential Politics; Indigenous Cosmologies & Epistemologies; Ontometaphysics; War; Indigenous Futures; Critical Race Studies

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Ari Eisenstat, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ari Eisenstat

Email: ari7@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, International Relations, Law and Policy, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Sustainable Development, Social Innovation, Human Rights, Outer Space, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Exponential Technologies, International Organizations, Civil Society Advocacy, Climate Justice

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Ryan Ferguson, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ryan Ferguson

Email: ryanferg@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Politics of Technology, Future of Media Systems, Aesthetics

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Shannon Pōmaikaʻi Hennessey

Shannon Pōmaikaʻi Hennessey

Email: shenness@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Indigenous Resurgence, Indigenous Theory, Hawaiian Language Newspapers, Indigenous Pacific Feminisms, Hawaiian Identity

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Hildre C Herrera, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Hildre C Herrera

Email: hherrera@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures)

Research Interests: Futures, Political Language, Nostalgia, International Politics, Media

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Hannah Hyman

Hannah Hyman

Email: hhyman@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Political Theory)

Research Interests: Feminist Theory, Queer Theory, Political Theology, Biopolitics

Advisor: Kathy Ferguson

Kamalani Johnson, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Kamalani Johnson

Email: kj31@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Hawaiian Historiography; Hawaiian Literature; Hawaiian Language Revitalization; Indigenous Language Revitalization; Hawaiian Political Theory; Hawaiian and Indigenous Life Writing

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Kaʻiminaʻauao Cambern, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Kaʻiminaʻauao Kahikina (Cambern)

Email: cambernk@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Political Economies of Mana, Black and Indigenous Co-optic Futures, Hōʻailona and Kānaka Maoli Political Action/Activism, Trans-indigenous Resurgence, Hulihia, Pilina, Ea, Moʻokūʻauhau Consciousness

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Akta Rao

Akta Rao

Email: akta@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Political Theory)

Research Interests: Postcolonial/Decolonial Theory and International Relations

Advisor: Nicole Sunday Grove

Hana Kim, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Hana Kim

Email: hanakim@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics, International Relations, Law and Policy, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Comparative Politics, Feminist Theory, Civil Society, Politics of Religion, Postcolonial Studies, Korean Studies, Korean America

Advisor: Kathy Ferguson

Ciera Lasconia, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ciera Lasconia

Email: cierak21@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Indigenous Politics, Hawaiʻi Politics, Deoccupation, MMIWG, Free Speech, Eugenics

Advisor: Jamaica Osorio

Andriy Levytskyy, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Andriy Levytskyy

Email: alevytsk@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Critical International Relations, Post-Soviet Transformations, Political Sociology, Complex Systems, Ukraine

Advisor: Nevzat Soguk

Cheng-Cheng Li, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Cheng-Cheng Li

Email: ccli@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics, International Relations)

Research Interests: Cultural Diplomacy, Pacific Regionalism, Pacific Islands Forum, Taiwan Foreign Policy, Taiwan and Oceania

Advisor: Sarah Wiebe

Samantha Lopez, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Samantha Lopez

Email: salopez@hawaii.edu

Program: MA (Law and Policy)

Research Interests: US Imperialism, Postcolonial Studies, Philippine Foreign Policy, Land and Self-Determination, Public Policy

Advisor: Sarah Wiebe

Daniel Kauwila Mahi, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Daniel Kauwila Mahi

Email: dmahi@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Contested Governance, Ceremony, Traditional Games, Alternative Exports, Hawaiian Kingdom Governance, Indigenous Futurisms

Advisor: Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio

Mathew Markman, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Mathew Markman

Email: markman@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Sanctuary, Fascism, Far-Right Extremism, Counter-Radicalization, Democratic Futures, Alternative Governance Models, Urban Revolution, Quantum Social Science, Middle Eastern Studies

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Billy Meinke Lau, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Billy Meinke-Lau

Email: wmeinke@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures)

Research Interests: Futures, Intellectual Property Rights, Open Educational Resources, Education Policy, Personal Data, Surveillance

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Sukyoung Myung, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Sukyoung Myung

Email: smyung@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics, International Relations)

Research Interests: Political Polarization, Democracy, Political Participation, Online Nationalism, Asian Politics, Korean Politics

Advisor: Ehito Kimura

Keegan Newton, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Keegan Newton

Email: keeganan@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD ()

Research Interests: Cyber Policy, Technology & Geopolitics

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Saveun Nhim, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Saveun Nhim

Email: snhim@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Education, Public Policy, Disabilities, Non-Profit Management, Research, Advocacy. Southeast Asia

Advisor: Katharina Heyer

Ha'ani San Nicolas, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ha'åni San Nicolas

Email: haanisn@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Reproductive Justice, Indigenous and Bodily Sovereignty, Decolonization, Oceania Feminisms, Pacific Island Women’s Histories

Advisor: Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio

Jordan Peterson, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Jordan Peterson

Email: jordanp9@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics)

Research Interests: Southeast Asia, Oceania, Migration, Subnational Conflict

Advisor: Ehito Kimura

Alyssa Purcell, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Alyssa Purcell

Email: anap9@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Indigenous Politics, Indigenous Theory, Mana Wāhine, Moʻokūʻauhau, Moʻolelo

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Ken Reyes, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ken Reyes

Email: ereyes4@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Political Theology, Philippine Politics, Authoritarianism, Political Violence, Biopolitics, Circulation of Power, Form-of-Life

Advisor: Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller

Ryan (Joon-Ho) Roden, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Ryan (Joon-Ho) Roden

Email: rroden@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Indigenous Politics, International Relations)

Research Interests: Borderlands Studies, Decolonization, Identity construction + deconstruction, Demilitarization, Neocolonial and Postcolonial Studies, Indigenous & Non-State Futurities

Advisor: Nevzat Soguk

Josiah (Keoni) Rodriguez

Josiah (Keoni) Rodriguez

Email: jjkq@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics)

Research Interests: Diaspora Studies, Identity Formation, Epistemologies, Research Methodologies, Indigenous Solidarities, Hawaiian Studies, Filipino Studies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Critical Theory

Advisor: Noelani Goodyear-Kaʻōpua

Sara Saastamoinen, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Sara Saastamoinen

Email: sarasaas@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Indigenous Politics, Law and Policy, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Existential and Catastrophic Risks, Indigenous Futures, Displacement and Concepts of Home, Karjala, Indigenous Languages, Identities, Queer Theory

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Steffanie Sobitz, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Steffanie Sobitz

Email: ssobitz@hawaii.edu

Program: MA (Alternative Futures, Indigenous Politics, International Relations, Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Socio-Legal Theory, Indigenous Law, Alternatives Futures: (non)state building, Democratic Confederalism, Middle East (Kurdish peoples), Spain, North Africa

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Kaiqing Su, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Kaiqing Su

Email: ksu4@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics, Indigenous Politics, International Relations, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Decolonization, Postcolonial Theory, Infrastructure, Development, Political Ecology, Aesthetics, Cartography, Historiography, Translation, China, Oceania

Advisor: Sankaran Krishna

Tamara Swift, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Tamara Swift

Email: swiftt@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures)

Research Interests: Alternative Local Political Structures, Local and Sustainable Farming, Hawaiian Ahupua'a Land System, Women in Governance, Surviving Climate Crisis

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Susy Tekunan, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Susy Tekunan

Email: tekunans@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics)

Research Interests: Overseas Chinese Immigration in Southeast Asia, Chinese Diaspora, China Transnational Governance, Colonial Legacy and Racial Politics

Advisor: Petrice Flowers

Mahina Tuteur, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Mahina Tuteur

Email: ntuteur@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics, Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Indigenous Law and Social Movements, Natural Resource Management, Land and Water, Critical Race Theory

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Chantrelle Melenani Waialae, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Chantrelle Melenani Waialae

Email: cwaialae@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics, Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Native Hawaiian Law, Family Law, Violence Against Women, Public Policy, Native Hawaiian Rights, Indigenous Politics, Conflict Resolution, Pu'uhonua

Advisor: Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller

Griffin Werner

Griffin Werner

Email: gbwerner@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Alternative Futures, Political Theory)

Research Interests: Nihilism, Emptiness, Political Critique, Cybernetics, Aesthetics, Education, Kyoto School Philosophy, Zen Buddhism, Continental Philosophy, Philosophy for Children (p4c)

Advisor: Jairus Grove

Kalaniakea Wilson, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Kalaniakea Wilson

Email: knwilson@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Indigenous Politics, International Relations, Law and Policy)

Research Interests: Ko Hawaii Pae Aina, Aloha kekahi i kekahi, I ka wa ma mua, I ka wa ma hope, He alii ka aina, He kauwa ke kanaka, Occupation, Colonization, Genocide, Power, Race, Treaties, War Crimes, Propaganda, Lies

Advisor: Noenoe Silva

Changwon Yang, Graduate Student, Department of Political Science, UH Mānoa

Changwon Yang

Email: changwon@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD (Comparative Politics, International Relations)

Research Interests: Comparative Politics, Area Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Philippines, Political Violence, Democracy

Advisor: Ehito Kimura