Conner Joyce

Major Field: International Relations
Dissertation Committee Chair: Ashley Leeds

Conner is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Rice University with a focus in International Relations. His research investigates the impact of digital technology on international security. He studies how technology can facilitate the emergence of security threats from non-state actors and how state actors can cooperate to mitigate these threats. More specifically, his research has studied the emergence of threat actors in cyberspace, examining how cybercriminals become politically and radically motivated hackers. Using original data collection on website defacements and a network of hackers’ self-reported group affiliations, he finds that social ties facilitate the diffusion of political and radical activity. His work also extends to the investigation of whether international cooperation can successfully mitigate the emerging transnational threat of non-state hacking. His work on this topic has been published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution. To advance his research agenda, he leverages survey experiments, large-N observational analysis, large language models, and deep transfer learning. Conner has experience teaching research methods and mentoring students involved in public policy research. He is eager and well-equipped to teach a variety of courses in international relations and research methods. He holds a Master's degree in Public Affairs from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs and a BA in Political Science from Southwestern University.

Tabitha Koch

Major Field: American Politics
Dissertation Committee Chair: Leslie Schwindt-Bayer

Tabitha is a PhD Candidate in Political Science at Rice University specializing in American Politics. She studies women in politics with a focus on institutions, with work examining women politicians in Congress, state legislatures, and local offices. Her dissertation researches constituents’ expectations of women representatives, and investigates how women members of Congress adapt their representational styles to combat voter stereotypes. In particular, she explores whether women can leverage an important institutional position, committee assignments, to increase approval and competency evaluations among voters on nonstereotypical issues areas. In her work, she uses large-N data on House members’ committees, newsletters, and public approval, as well as original experiments. Her dissertation has been funded by Rice’s Social Science Research Institute through its pre-dissertation improvement grant and by the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality’s Graduate Certificate Program. Tabitha is passionate about mentoring students, and has had the opportunity to help students develop their writing skills in her multiple semesters working as a coach for Rice’s interdisciplinary First Year Writing Intensive Seminars and teaching American Politics. She will serve as the instructor of record for Gender and Politics in fall 2025, and is also prepared to teach courses on American politics, congressional politics, and political institutions. Her work has been published in Perspectives on Politics. You can read more about Tabitha’s research and teaching at sites.google.com/view/tabitha-koch.

Amorae Times

Major Field: International Relations
Dissertation Committee Chair: Songying Fang

Amorae Times is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Rice University specializing in the intersection of International Relations, Political Hierarchy, and Race and Ethnic Politics. Her research examines how race and global hierarchies shape interactions in the international system, focusing on how both states and multinational corporations exercise influence, transmit values, and navigate the constraints of political and economic hierarchy. To this end, her dissertation investigates the ways in which domestic politics and international hierarchy shape political and economic interactions globally, drawing on survey experiments, large-N quantitative analysis, and qualitative methods.
Amorae is prepared to teach courses in International Relations, International Political Economy, and Historical and Contemporary Race Relations in International Politics (Global Politics). She is committed to creating inclusive and rigorous classrooms that emphasize critical thinking, collaboration, and the application of political science to real-world problems. Her research has been supported by Rice University's Social Science Research Institute Dissertation Improvement Grant.