Kelebogile / ki-le-bu-hi-le / 1. I am grateful. [Setswana]
Zvobgo / zhrob-go / 1. That which has always been. [Shona]
she/her
I am an Assistant Professor of Government at William & Mary, a faculty affiliate at the Global Research Institute, and the founder and director of the International Justice Lab. I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California, where I was Provost's Fellow in the Social Sciences, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and a recipient of the 2021 USC Ph.D. Achievement Award. I received my B.A. in International Relations and French Language & Literature from Pomona College.
My research engages questions in human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts, and has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including International Studies Quarterly and the Journal of Human Rights, and mainstream outlets like Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and The Washington Post. I have appeared on ABC News, Bloomberg TV, CNN, NPR, and PRX, and have been quoted in The Atlantic and Vox, among others. I have won multiple awards for my work, including Best Paper in Human Rights from both the American Political Science Association and International Studies Association. In 2022, I received Best Dissertation in Human Rights from both the American Political Science Association and International Studies Association.
Much of my past and ongoing work concerns quasi-judicial and judicial bodies that have proliferated around the globe over the past half-century to address serious violations of human rights law and humanitarian law. Thus far, my scholarship has centered on domestic truth commissions and international criminal tribunals, especially the International Criminal Court.
Outside of academia, I am an avid traveler, runner, and dancer. My lightbulb moments tend to happen when I'm on the move.