Emma Smith is reading for the MPhil in International Relations. Her research broadly centers on the prevention of conflict and mass atrocities, the use of children in armed conflict, peacebuilding, and the climate-security nexus. She is particularly interested in the role of climate change — from climate shocks to climate adaptation interventions — in mitigating and fueling interstate violence.
Emma most recently served as a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow on ReThink Media's Peace and Security team, where she worked with organisations across the foreign policy space to advocate for arms control, advance US military accountability and transparency, and elevate the voices of impacted communities. She has held several roles centred on civilian protection and atrocity prevention, including serving as a Children and Armed Conflict intern within the US Department of State’s Office of Security and Human Rights; a research intern at Brookings Doha Center; and a summer fellow at the Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Emma graduated from Stanford University with a BA in International Relations, receiving Honors in International Security Studies for her thesis, "Too Big to Fail? Evaluating the association between large-scale irrigation schemes and civil violence in sub-Saharan Africa, in the context of the climate crisis." Her mixed-methods research found that projects aiming to mitigate climate shocks may, counterintuitively, amplify risks of communal violence. She was the recipient of numerous campus awards including the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Education, the Stanford Award of Excellence, and the Hoefer Prize for Writing in the Major.
