LISA LANGDON KOCH
School of Politics and Global Studies
Arizona State University
Coor Hall, 6th Floor
Tempe, AZ 85287
Email: LLKoch@asu.edu
LisaLKoch@gmail.com
Phone: (734) 560-7897
Website: LLKoch.weebly.com
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, Department of Political Science
PhD, 2014
Fields of study: World Politics (major), American Politics (minor), Comparative
Politics (minor), Middle Eastern/North African Studies (cognate)
University of Michigan, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Master of Public Policy
2004
Boston College
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, summa cum laude
2001
CURRENT POSITIONS
Arizona State University
Visiting Scholar, School of Politics and Global Studies
2014-present
Pearson E-Reader Project
2013-present
Consultant, analyzing introductions, supplementary materials, and questions prepared for
use with the Pearson E-Reader for use in high school and college History courses
DISSERTATION
Explaining the Path and Pace of Nuclear Weapons Programs
Under what conditions do states decide to start nuclear weapons programs? And once
states begin such programs, when and why do they vary the path and pace of their nuclear
development? I demonstrate that particular elements of the security environment affect a
state’s decision to start a program. I then offer two main theories regarding the path and
pace of such programs and make the first scholarly attempt to model the paths of all
programs that have existed. Using event history models and historical case studies, I find
first, that the weaker a state’s civilian control over the military is, the less likely a state will
be to accelerate the pace of its program. Second, I find that the more independent a state’s
nuclear bureaucracy is, the more likely a state will be to accelerate its program.
Committee: Allan C. Stam (Chair), James D. Morrow, Robert J. Franzese, Jr., and
Philip B. K. Potter
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PUBLICATIONS
Langdon, Lisa. 2004. “Crisis, the Presidency, and the Cuban Question,” in A Dialogue on
Presidential Leadership and Power, Washington, DC: Center for the Study of the
Presidency.
Langdon, Lisa, Alexander J. Sarapu, and Matthew S. Wells. 2004. “Targeting the Leadership
of Terrorist and Insurgent Movements: Historical Lessons for Contemporary Policy
Makers,” Journal for Public and International Affairs. 15:59-78.
Langdon, Lisa, Alexander J. Sarapu, and Matthew S. Wells. 2004. “The Roots of Apocalyptic
Terrorism,” in Apocalyptic Terrorism: Understanding the Unfathomable, United
States Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS AND UNDER REVIEW
“An Unusable Arsenal: Civil-Military Relations and the Pace of Nuclear Weapons Programs”
(under review)
“Changes in the Pace of Nuclear Weapons Programs”
“How International Nuclear Accidents Influence State Decision Making”
“Institutional Design and Nuclear Weapons Program Risk”
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Lead Instructor, University of Michigan
Political Science 389: Nuclear Weapons and the International System
Graduate Student Instructor, University of Michigan
Political Science 111: American Government (including honors section)
Center for International and Comparative Studies 101: Intro to International Studies
Political Science 993: Political Science Teacher Training (2008-2012)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Research Assistant for Charles Shipan, 2013
Research Assistant for Robert Axelrod, 2007
Undergraduate Advisor in Political Science, 2008-2009
Greater Chicago Food Depository (Chicago, IL)
Director of Public Policy, 2004-2006
American Institutes for Research (Washington, DC)
Research Assistant, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 2001-2002
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE (CONTINUED)
Office of the Mayor of Detroit (Detroit, MI)
Intergovernmental Affairs Intern, 2003
U.S. Department of State (Washington, DC and Athens, Greece)
Political-Military Bureau Intern, Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers, 2001
Political Section Intern, U.S. Embassy Athens, 2000
FELLOWSHIPS AND HONORS
National
Presidential Fellow, Center for the Study of the Presidency, 2003-2004
Harry S. Truman Scholar, 2000
Beinecke Scholar, 2000
Phi Beta Kappa, 2001
National Merit Scholarship Winner, 1997
University of Michigan
Horace Rackham Graduate School One-Term Dissertation Fellowship, 2013-2014
Margaret Dow Towsley Fellowship, 2013-2014
Alfred Meyer Award (research grant), 2013
Political Science Departmental Fellowship, Winter 2011
Horace Rackham Graduate School Conference Travel Grant, 2007
Arthur W. and Mary C. Bromage Fellow, 2002-2003
Additional
Gabelli Presidential Scholar, Boston College, 1997-2001
Francis A. Brick Award for Scholarship, Leadership, and Character, Boston College, 2001
Gargan Medal, Fulton Prize Debates at Boston College, 1999, 2000
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND TALKS
“The Risk of Nuclear Weapons Program Acceleration: Leader Combat Experience and
Agency Influence.” Paper to be presented at the American Political Science
Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, 2015.
“Teaching the Teachers: Improving Graduate Student Instruction,” Board of Directors,
Department of Political Science at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2012
“U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Cuba,” Roosevelt Institution at University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, 2008
“Assessing and Responding to Hunger in Chicago: Policy and Practice,” Bread for the World,
Chicago, 2005
“American Diplomacy and the Case of Greece,” Le Moyne College Elderhostel, Syracuse, NY,
2002
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PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Reviewer: The Historian
Scholarship/fellowship mentor and applicant interviewer, Literature, Science & Arts
(LS&A) Honors Program, University of Michigan, 2006-2013
LS&A Honors Program Director Search Committee, University of Michigan, 2012
Selection committee for university nominees for Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellows
Program, University of Michigan, 2012
Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellows Program nominee mentor, University of Michigan,
2012-2013
Truman Scholarship Interview Panelist, Harry S. Truman Foundation, Chicago, 2006 and
Cincinnati, 2007
Senior Scholar at Truman Scholars Leadership Week, Harry S. Truman Foundation, Liberty,
MO, 2006, 2007
University of Illinois Extension Council member, Chicago, 2005-2006
REFERENCES
Available upon request
Last updated: 7/29/15
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