Inclusive Movement: Katherine Trubee Awarded as Emerging Scholar
Inclusive Movement: Katherine Trubee Awarded as Emerging Scholar
by Randall Brown
Political science PhD student Katherine Trubee earned support as an SEC Emerging Scholar from the University of Tennessee Graduate School for the 2024–2025 academic year. This program provides $25,000 in fellowship support plus professional development, networking, and mentoring for chosen students in their final year of doctoral work.
“This award will afford Katherine time to focus on her groundbreaking work in political science during the completion of her doctoral studies,” said Professor Patrick Grzanka, dean, Division of Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “We are so proud of her work and we are grateful for the Graduate School’s recognition and support for one of our rising stars in political science.”
Trubee uses quantitative analysis, case studies, and a survey experiment to explore the relationship between gender inclusivity and nonviolence in movements.
“As a political scientist, my work focuses on questions at the intersection of conflict and gender,” she said. “My dissertation project specifically looks at gender inclusivity as an explanatory factor for choices of nonviolence among civil resistance or revolutionary movements. Understanding how these movements operate internally and what factors impact their decisions is paramount to contextualizing historical examples of intra-state conflict as well as engaging in ongoing and future conflicts.”
Trubee is excited to take part in this program and collaborate with other PhD candidates, post-doctoral researchers, and other partners at UT and nationally. As one of the three UT PhD students supported by this program for the year, she will also receive travel support to attend professional conferences.
“While the financial portion of this award supports additional time for dissertation research in the final year of my doctoral work, the professional relationships and development will be instrumental to my entry into the academic job market,” said Trubee. “The close mentorship by the UT Graduate School staff and leadership will not only support my job search efforts in many ways but also help me grow as a professional academic in the short and long term.”
Professor Brandon Prins, head of the Department of Political Science, praises the relevance and approach in Trubee’s work.
“Katherine has shown extraordinary dedication to her doctoral program and research,” said Prins. “Her work on gender inclusivity in collective action movements is highly relevant today and speaks to new forms of feminist engagement with repressive governments as well as concerns with democratic backsliding. The Department of Political Science is extremely proud of Katherine’s accomplishments, and we expect her to be a leading scholar in the years ahead.”