Nina Srinivasan Rathbun
Tel: 213-740-8895, Email: nrathbun@usc.edu
WORK EXPERIENCE:
University of Southern California
School of International Relations
08/2008-present
Associate Professor (Teaching) of International Relations (promoted in 2014)
Taught upper division undergraduate classes on Research Design and Methodology, Economic
Globalization, the Global Finance and Monetary Regime, Global Governance, Managing New Global
Problems, and Communism and Post-Communism in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, as well as
graduate level courses on U.S. Foreign Policy and Decision-making. Created four new course offerings
for the School of International Relations. Selected to instruct two college first year investigation
courses as part of a successful pilot College program to enable freshmen to have access to highly
regarded faculty in their first year. Received grants to develop innovative teaching assignments,
including a creating a model data analysis assignments to encourage undergraduates to utilize raw
international economic data in research designs and a distance oriented data analysis project using
OECD and World Bank data, mock trials in international courts of real time cases, responsive real time
question tools, and policy-oriented white papers. Utilized primary source material, video archives, and
economic data analysis in teaching materials.
Director of Undergraduate Studies (2013-present)
Oversaw transition to new General Education structure in SIR. Revised and extended the Honors
Program to a full year with formalized research design requirement. Updated and increased rigor of
undergraduate curriculum for both the International Relations major and the International
Relations/Global Economy major. Developed and implemented a formalized professional
development internship course with career preparation into the academic curriculum. Served on
numerous faculty evaluation committees, departmental consultative committees, and NTT teaching
needs committees for the SIR and Political Science departments. Observed and evaluated dozens of
NTT faculty teaching. Review numerous Overseas/Study Abroad programs. Oversee academic
probation cases and grade disputes.
Fellowship and Research Advisor (2012-present)
Conducted outreach and mentor students to prepare them for highly competitive international and
national fellowships and research internships. Increased Fulbright applications from SIR majors by
50% over the past three years and doubled recipients. Doubled Boren Scholarship recipients in each of
the last two years. Arranged and moderated numerous faculty and alumni speaking events on a range
of topics to help prepare students for their academic and career choices. Moderated debates about
current issues in international affairs occurring in Washington. Encouraged the close interaction of
students with the Council on Foreign Relations’ academic outreach program. Reconstituted the
international relations undergraduate association (IRUA) and served as faculty advisor. Oversaw the
creation of an advanced internet outreach to international relations undergraduates through social
media networking and a USC blog on international relations issues. Member of the University-wide
Governing Committee on National Grants and International Fellowships, strategizing, organizing and
interviewing USC applicants for Fulbright, Boren, Rhodes, Marshall Fellowship nominees, Trusteeship
and Presidential scholarship finalists. Member of University-wide Schaeffer Government Service
Fellowship Selection Committee and Discovery Scholar Prize Selection Committee.
Indiana University
01/2007-06/2008
Department of Political Science, Russian and East European Institute and Center for Global and
American Security
Lecturer and Research Associate Fellow
Taught graduate and upper division undergraduate classes on International Law, Communist and PostCommunist Politics and Societies, and Globalization. Researched on nuclear nonproliferation policy and
the IAEA safeguards regime. Researched and lectured on current US foreign policies. Taught students
how to research and analyze numerous source materials to evaluate different country’s positions on specific
contemporary conflicts involving international law.
Concordia University
09/2005-09/2006
Department of Political Science
Assistant Professor (LTA)
Researched and wrote scholarly articles on current efforts to strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime,
nonproliferation in the Indian subcontinent, and recent efforts to increase U.S.-Indian nuclear cooperation.
Taught upper division undergraduate classes on International Law, International Relations and
Globalization.
U.S. Department of State
09/2003-09/2005
Presidential Management Fellow
Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Multilateral Nuclear Affairs, Nonproliferation Bureau, 10/04- 09/05,
09/03-05/04
Advanced U.S. interests through bilateral and multilateral negotiations on the implementation of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in preparation for the Third Session of the Preparatory
Committee meeting and the 2005 NPT Review Conference. Conducted research and analysis and wrote
reports on U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy concerning NPT compliance. Served on numerous U.S.
delegations to key capitals, including Tokyo, Canberra, Ottawa, Jakarta, Mexico City, as well as to foreign
government Missions in New York and Vienna, to discuss and persuade allies and others of the U.S. core
goal to strengthen the nonproliferation aspects of the NPT.
Science Attaché, IAEA Section, U.S. Mission to International Organizations (UNVIE), 05/04-10/04
Served as the focal point on behalf of U.S. Mission for coordination of all U.S. support to the IAEA
technical cooperation, nuclear applications and nuclear energy programs from a policy, technical, and
programmatic standpoint. Managed U.S. programmatic, financial, and technical support to IAEA
Technical Cooperation Funds and Footnote A voluntary contributions, which provide assistance to develop
peaceful nuclear programs. Conducted research and analysis and wrote reports on IAEA verification of
safeguards implementation in Iran and Libya. Served on U.S. delegations to the June and September IAEA
Board of Governors meetings, as well as its annual General Conference. Negotiated six nuclear application
and energy resolutions, and one technical cooperation resolution. Assisted negotiation on resolution on the
implementation of safeguards in Iran. Developed recommendations to support U.S. nonproliferation and
promotion of peaceful nuclear application goals, including President Bush’s IAEA initiatives, such as the
establishment of a Special Committee on Safeguards and Verification, and the International Atomic Energy
Agency’s (IAEA) programs on nuclear applications and technical cooperation. Reviewed the IAEA’s
2005-2006 technical cooperation program and projects to ensure consistency with U.S. nonproliferation and
sustainable development objectives.
The Ohio State University
08/2002-08/2003
Mershon Center for International Security
Lecturer and Visiting Scholar
Taught upper-division political science classes on International Law and on International Organizations.
Researched and wrote scholarly articles on media independence in post-communist, democratizing
societies. Presented research for professional lecture series. Edited and revised dissertation into a book
manuscript. Following return from 18 months of research in Eastern Europe, analyzed data from a wide
range of source materials to determine the level of media independence in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and
Poland and explain the cross-temporal and cross-national variations in those levels. Coordinated with
foreign media personnel, foreign officials and other researchers from the region to collect and analyze data
on media coverage of different political parties and governments both during and between election
campaigns, government-media relations, privatization decisions that formed the commercial media market,
licensing decisions made by regulatory agencies, appointments to regulatory agencies and senior
management of public broadcasting corporations, and finances of public broadcasting corporations.
Introduced new more comprehensive conceptualization of media independence. Developed test to evaluate
the ability of different theoretical arguments to explain the legislative process creating media regulatory
agencies and reforming state-owned broadcasting corporations.
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. in Political Science, June 2003
University of California, Berkeley
Masters of Arts in Political Science, May 1997
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelors of Arts in Government and English, May 1995
Wesleyan University
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
LANGUAGES: German and Russian.
JOB-RELATED PUBLICATIONS, HONORS, AWARDS, MEMBERSHIPS, ETC.:
USC Center for Scholarly Technology Data Driven Assignment Grant, Spring 2015
USC Center for Scholarly Technology Course Continuity in a Crisis (C3) Grant, Fall 2011
USC Center for Scholarly Technology Incentive Grants for New Learning Environments, Fall 2010
Political Science Department, UC Berkeley Dissertation Fellowship 2000-2001
Center for German and European Studies Predissertation Fellowship Summer 1999
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Fellowship Summer 1998
University of California Graduate Opportunity Fellowship 1996-1998
Thomas J. Watson Memorial Scholarship 1991-1995
“Internationalizing the Curriculum” Roundtable, invited presentation at the Fourth Annual Educators
Workshop, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, NY, April 16-17, 2015.
“This Means War! Communication and Conflict,” invited presentation at the Inaugural Polymathic
Conference, Sidney Harman Academy for Polymathic Study, University of Southern California Wrigley
Institute, Santa Catalina Island, CA, April 10-12, 2015.
“Teaching a Student to Fish? International Relations Scholars in the Classroom,” (with Brian Rathbun),
paper presented at the Annual meeting of the American Political Science Association Teaching and
Learning Conference, Washington, DC 16-18 January, 2015.
“Teaching Nuclear Safeguards to Engineers and Political Science Students,” invited presentation at the
Safeguards Roundtable, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, 14 July, 2014.
“Glass Half Full? Evaluating the Impact of New U.S. policy on the Legitimacy of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Regime,” in Jeffrey Fields, ed., State Behavior and Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime,
(Atlanta: University of Georgia, 2014).
“The Role of Legitimacy in Strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime,” The
Nonproliferation Review, vol. 13, No. 2 (July 2006), pp. 227-252.
“Legitimacy, Exceptions and the Non-proliferation Regime: The Case of India,” paper presented at the
Annual meeting of the Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security, Ottawa, 2-4 December 2005.
“The Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference 2005,” paper presented at the Global Security
Meeting, Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, Wye River, MD,
October 13-15, 2005.
“Ruling over the Media: A Cross-National Analysis of Government Abuse,” paper presented at the annual
meeting of the International Studies Association, Portland, OR, February 25-March 1, 2003.
“Ruling the Airwaves: The Partisan Politics of Broadcast Regulation in Central and Eastern Europe,” paper
presented at the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, Midwest, St. Louis, MO,
November 1-2, 2002.
“India and Pakistan: Analysis of Kashmir Border Disputes, 1970-1995,” co-author, Congressional
Research Service Report (Washington, D.C.: 1996)
Member of American Political Science Association, International Studies Association, Women in
International Security
Reviewer for the International Studies Quarterly and The Nonproliferation Review
Last updated:10/15