Isabelle DeSisto

Department: Politics
Faculty Adviser: Mark Beissinger
Year of Study:
Undergraduate School: Harvard University
Undergraduate Major: Government

Personal Bio

I am a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Politics department. I grew up in Boston, MA. I hold a BA in Government (summa cum laude) and an MA in Regional Studies: Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, both from Harvard University; an MPhil in Politics and International Studies (with distinction) from the University of Cambridge; and an MA in Politics from Princeton. As an undergraduate, I did independent research for my senior thesis on Soviet-Cuban relations. For that project, I conducted lots of archival research and interviews in both Russia and Cuba. During my second master's at Cambridge, I worked with newspaper articles and secondary sources to study international aid to victims of the Chornobyl disaster in Ukraine and Belarus. At Princeton, I study comparative politics. My dissertation focuses on the effects of exposure to political violence in eastern Europe. I speak Russian (fluent), Spanish (fluent), Ukrainian (advanced), Romanian (advanced) and Estonian (beginner). My hobbies include pickling, running, watching minor league baseball, and open water swimming.

Fun Fact

I have a twin sister who is also a PhD student (at another university). She is a biologist who studies lemurs in Madagascar.

Research Pitch

My main research focuses on the long-term consequences of exposure to political violence on political behavior in eastern Europe. More concretely, I'm interested in the legacies of Soviet mass repressions in Moldova, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries. I study how people learn about history in their families and communities, and how experiencing violence or persecution affects the political actions of future generations. I use quantitative survey data, interviews, and text data. My work helps us understand how past violence continues to shape politics in post-authoritarian countries. This topic is especially relevant when thinking about Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the violence that Ukrainians - especially in occupied territories - are experiencing today.

Upcoming Programs That I Am Attending:

Plans for Summer 2025

Not available to participate in Summer ReMatch+ program.