Kimberly Turner is an Assistant Professor of International Affairs. Her research focuses on the causes and outcomes of mass movements. Her methodological work develops new measures of non-violent resistance efficacy, while her substantive work analyzes the linkages between skilled labor’s employment and wage grievance to the onset and outcomes of contentious politics within authoritarian settings.
"I never intended on being a political scientist," Dr. Turner said.
She was pre-med in college and intended on being a surgeon. However, after taking a western civilization course late in her junior year as an elective she found her way to political science. "I was invited to an alumni reception where the alum was a State Department Foreign Service Officer and that was it for me. I have been studying security related topics ever since."
She was a postdoctoral fellow with the Watson Institute at Brown University from 2022-2023 and an International Security postdoctoral fellow at the Belfer Center at Harvard University from 2021-2023. She received her PhD in political science in 2021 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
First up, Dr. Turner will be teaching PIA 2476 - Nonviolent Resistance Movement.
"While I am trained as a political scientist, my research focuses on the applied nature of human security issues-what does it mean on the ground for citizens? So a policy school is an excellent fit, and GSPIA students are professional, curious, and excited to explore the applied nature of the topics I am passionate about."
Fun fact: Turner likes to explore new neighborhoods, check out new coffee spots and local gardens and open-air events.
"I am pretty passionate about issues regarding student retention and success in graduate school. Dr. Brooke Shannon and I, along with some grad school friends, ran a Twitter account called Publish or Perish, which focused on graduate student success: landing a postdoc, a job, and how to succeed in graduate school. I am very excited to have the opportunity to learn from the graduate students and my fellow colleagues!"