Elena Pokalova, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of International Security Studies

Education

• Ph.D., Kent State University
• M.A., Kent State University
• B.A., Ural State Pedagogical University

Research Interests

• Ethnic Conflict
• Counter-Terrorism and Separatist Movements
• Post-Communist Transformations

Elena Pokalova received her Ph.D. in political science from Kent State University. Her dissertation “Shifting Faces of Terror after 9/11: Framing the Terrorist Threat” focuses on how September 11 and the war on terror have affected ways of dealing with ethno-nationalist separatist conflicts. The dissertation analyzes the cases of Chechnya, China, Turkey, and Sri Lanka. Pokalova's fields of interest include ethnic conflict, terrorism, and post-communist transformations, and she has published articles on counterterrorism and separatism.

After receiving her B.A. in Linguistics from the Ural State Pedagogical University, Pokalova worked at the American Councils for International Education and the Transatlantic Partners against AIDS in Russia. In 2004, she moved to Izmir, Turkey, where she taught Russian and English as foreign languages at Izmir University of Economics. While at Kent State (where she received her M.A. and Ph.D.), Pokalova engaged in several international education programs, including a course on Political and Economic Systems in Prague, Czech Republic, and a course on quantitative research methods in Michigan (ICPSR). In the course of her research career, Pokalova has served as a reviewer and editor for several academic journals. In addition, she is a recipient of several research grants, including the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy dissertation research grant and Open Society Institute grants.