It is my pleasure to announce that I have recently agreed to join Illinois College as an Assistant Professor starting in the Fall of 2026. This is truly an amazing moment for me.

I am proud to say my latest article I co-authored with Ches Thurber was just released for first viewing in the Journal of Peace Research! academic.oup.com/jpr/advance-...

Resistance is not futile: rethinking ethnicity, tactics, and outcomes in civil conflicts

Abstract. Recent studies have questioned whether nonviolent tactics can be effective for ethnic minorities. However, they often overlook multiethnic coalit

academic.oup.com

This does pose a fascinating question about the dissertation VS. publication route and how the latter can be abused by both candidate and mentor. share.google/cqhAhlBqmD5L...

Disquiet over ‘PhDs by publication’ diminishes doctorate’s prestige

Misuse of ‘cumulative PhDs’ should prompt debate over whether stacking research papers is really equivalent to writing a dissertation, says Brian Bloch

share.google

I am proud to say my latest article, "Responses May Vary: Online vs. In-Person Interviewing" has just been published in Qualitative Multi-Methods Research (QMMR). It is free to download on their website under issue 23, link below! www.qmmrpublication.com/issues

This link leads to the recordings from my conference in Leuven, Shifting Values: LGBTQ+ Politics Beyond the EU! The panel, "Global LGBTQ+ Politics in Authoritarian Times" I was on with two of my amazing colleagues! soc.kuleuven.be/lines/euexac...

Shifting Values: LGBTQ+ Politics Beyond the EU

soc.kuleuven.be

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of traveling to KU Leuven for a workshop and conference for a book project focused on breaking down binaries in our understanding of global LGBTQ+ rights! It was a wonderful experience and an amazing group of scholars!

I will be traveling this Wednesday to Belgium for a workshop and conference at KU Leuven @kuleuvenuniversity.bsky.social where I will serve in a panel and present my book chapter on Luso-African LGBTQ+ politics! It is events like this that make me love my job as a scholar!

Recession Forecasts Jump After Herds Of Panicked Economists Start Running Off Cliffs theonion.com/recessi...

I do not think I will ever get over the anxiety of purchasing a highly priced plane ticket even when my department plans to cover most of it.

The Spanish government ordered Airbnb to remove nearly 66,000 listings from its platform, widening a crackdown on tourist rentals as it seeks to alleviate a housing crisis that has become among the worst in Europe.

Spain Orders Airbnb to Take Down 66,000 Rental Listings

nytimes.com

You cannot ban students from using something and then turn around and use it yourself! I make my syllabus very clear. Students cannot use generative AI to write their papers for them and I never use it as well. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/t...

The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It

nytimes.com

It was this time last year that I was excited to change my phone screen to the Eastern Illinois University logo since I was finally able to land a job at the end of my Ph.D. Candidacy. Today, I am proud of myself for finishing my first year as a professional with many years in academia to come!

One of the greatest joys in my life as an educator is seeing students receive all the accolades they deserve. My student, Andrew Mendy, is a brilliant young man with a bright future ahead of him!

Every day, but especially these days, I am in awe of our students.

I stand in full support of Harvard University. We have to fight for academic freedom and be unrelenting in protecting it!

Some days you rejoice over a well written manuscript you know will get published... Other days you are just happy you finished 6000 words and you can finish it later.

One man’s temper tantrum to feel powerful is having devestating consequences

I think the thing that bugs me the most about AI usage in assignments is it takes away a moment where a student learns. We do not just learn through lectures & resding. We learn by taking info and playing with it. Writing is one of those elements and so you lose some of that w/ and AI shortcut.

I'm not normally one to enjoy Op Eds. But Ezra Klein's commentary on how misguided the democratic party's strategy of playing dead in the face of the Trump Presidency is 100% spot on. Resistance politics works and people will choose a conman over a dead fish any day www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/o...

Opinion | There Is a Liberal Answer to the Trump-Musk Wrecking Ball (Gift Article)

Right-wing populism thrives on scarcity. The answer is abundance. But a politics of abundance will work only if Democrats confront where their approach has failed.

nytimes.com

ASEAN carries a heavy load in 2025. The organization’s effectiveness in addressing #Myanmar’s political crisis, maritime disputes & great power competition will determine its relevance in an increasingly complex regional order: eastasiaforum.org/2025/02/20/s... @lowyinstitute.bsky.social #ASEAN

Storm clouds gather over ASEAN as it enters 2025

As Myanmar's crisis deepens, South China Sea tensions escalate and the US-China rivalry intensifies, ASEAN's ability to maintain regional stability and strategic autonomy faces unprecedented challenge...

eastasiaforum.org

It is hard to put into words the incredible feeling of putting the final words into a research paper's first final draft. This thing is going to change 1000x from this moment. But, for now, it is done!

Finally landed a new publication! Last month was rough but the start of this month is cling up roses!

“Today we feel secure and safe and happy.” After Thailand on Thursday became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, couples gathered for a mass wedding in Bangkok. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/w...

An R&R is an R&R... Even if it comes part and parcel with a 5 page document letting you know in detail how much the manuscript sucks... 🫠

In a world of chaos, sometimes being kind is the best you can do and that is okay.

I do find it hilarious that the world of academia essentially goes into hibernation during the month of December and essentially comes to life on January 3rd every year.

Some photos taken of my commencement last week celebrating the end of my journey as a graduate student! The photo of my advisor Aarie Glas (@aglas.bsky.social) in particular brings a tear to my eye! Thank you to everyone for being apart of my moment and this whole journey!

My article, which I co-published with Rithiya Serey and Aarie Glas, is now out at Pacific Affairs: "This is Not the 90s: Myanmar and Change to ASEAN's Normative Order!" pacificaffairs.ubc.ca/articles/thi...

“This is Not the 90s”: Myanmar and Change in ASEAN’s Normative Order - Pacific Affairs (UBC Journal)

Rithiya Serey, Robert Tanner Bivens, and Aarie Glas

pacificaffairs.ubc.ca

President Bashar al-Assad has resigned and left Syria, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday, a stunning fall for the longtime dictator. People celebrated near the Lebanon/Syria border crossing of Masnaa in Bar Elias, Lebanon. Follow live updates. nyti.ms/4ip731G