About

This bio is current as of 2022.

Caitlin Crahan is a 2020 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. She studied political science and mathematics and was a member of the Kellogg International Scholars Program and the president of the Notre Dame Chorale. Crahan currently works as a paralegal at Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP, a leading business immigration law firm. Previously, from June to November of 2020, she held an internship with the Woodrow Wilson Center and worked as a research assistant to Robin Wright, an expert in Iran and Islamist political groups. Crahan worked at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2019, and interned at The Carter Center in the summer of 2018, researching the Syrian and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. From 2017 to 2020, her work with Dr. Ernesto Verdeja through the Kellogg ISP focused on genocide and mass atrocities, specifically triggers and conditions around each circumstance. Crahan wrote a senior thesis on U.S. policy towards the Syrian Civil War, and hopes to build a career in immigration policy with a focus on refugee crises.

Adviser
Ernesto Verdeja
Major(s)
Mathematics
Political Science
Current Research

Research Interests
I study political science with a focus on international relations, and I hope to find a career that combines humanitarian crises and international politics. I am specifically interested in the Middle East and hope to continue developing my knowledge about the region's politics in future classes, research, and internships.

Current Research
I am currently working with Professor Verdeja to code cases of mass killing over history to determine possible triggers in hopes that this information can predict and prevent future mass atrocities. In the past, we have researched triggers of genocide more generally.