University of California, Davis, Political Science Ph.D. student Nahrain Rasho has been awarded a Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship from the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) for their outstanding dissertation on Conflict Analysis and Prevention.

Since 1988, the USIP Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship program has supported the dissertations of 339 young scholars, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in research, scholarship and policymaking. This non-residential fellowship is awarded to Ph.D. students enrolled in U.S. universities who are writing doctoral dissertations on topics broadly related to conflict management, peace-building and other related security studies. The award carries a $20,000 stipend.

Rasho also won People’s Choice and placed third Wednesday in UC Davis Grad Slam, the campus final round of the UC-wide research communciation competition, in 2019.

Rasho's dissertation, “Ethnofederalism and Ethnic Conflict: The Consequences of Regional Autonomy on Local Ethnic Conflict”, examines whether territorial autonomy increases conflict among local ethnic groups. She studies the consequences of regional autonomy in Iraq to demonstrate how Kurdish regional autonomy increased demands for autonomy by ethnic minorities within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She tests the effects of ethnofederal arrangements on regional ethnic conflict using regional-level data on ethnic groups around the world to examine whether ethnofederal arrangements increase local ethnic conflict.

For more information on the Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship, visit the U.S. Institute of Peace's website. 

About Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies at UC Davis includes over 100 dynamic degree programs and a diverse and interactive student body from around the world. Known for our state-of-the-art research facilities, productive laboratories and progressive spirit – UC Davis offers collaborative and interdisciplinary curricula through graduate groups and designated emphasis options, bringing students and faculty of different academic disciplines together to address real-world challenges.
UC Davis graduate students and postdoctoral scholars become leaders in their fields: researchers, teachers, politicians, mentors and entrepreneurs. They go on to guide, define and impact change within our global community.

For information on Graduate Studies’ current strategic initiatives, visit the Graduate Studies strategic plan page.