Sophia Dawkins
Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs
Personal Details
Focus Areas: Conflict, Civil War, Civilian Protection, Forced Displacement, Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance, Peace Processes
Dr. Sophia Dawkins is a political scientist and conflict expert specialized in applying cutting-edge social science methods in war zones. She has designed smart-phone-based surveys in civil war environments and served as a senior expert for entities that include the International Organization for Migration. Over her 15-year career in the peace, security and humanitarian fields, she has spent significant time on the ground in South Sudan and worked with forcibly-displaced populations. At SIPA, Dr. Dawkins teaches students hands-on skills for analyzing geospatial and quantitative data in volatile political situations where standard statistical approaches and AI tools fall short. Dr. Dawkins is a deployable expert with the Civilian Stabilisation Group at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Education
- PhD, MPhil and MA in Political Science, Yale University
- MA in Law and Diplomacy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University
- BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Oxford
Honors & Awards
- Fellow (Non-Resident), Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace, United Nations University Centre for Policy
- Research (2024-2026)
- Fellow at the Centre on Armed groups (2024-)
- US Institute of Peace Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar (2019-2020)