Meet the Team
The Rhode Island Survey Initiative is led by an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students from multiple departments at URI. The team identifies key issues, formulates survey questions, and analyzes results.
Brendan Mark
Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Brendan Skip Mark joined the URI political science department in 2018. His research explores the intersections between human rights, political economy, collective dissent, and empirical methodology. He tries to unpack the determinants and consequences of: compliance with International Organization agreements, repression, labor rights, violent and non-violent protest, migration and remittances, development, economic crisis, and economic and social rights.
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Ekaterina (Kate) Sylvester
Research Fellow
Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Kate is a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island (URI) Political Science department, working on her International Relations degree, with a concentration in Diplomacy. She is a Research Fellow at the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. Her prior education is in Intercultural Communication and Public Relations (M.A.) and Business Administration (A.A.). Kate’s projects and day-to-day work at the Center focus on the promotion of mutual understanding, conflict reconciliation, and the building of peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive communities.
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Meg Frost
Assistant Professor of Political Science and Assistant Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Meg Frost joined the Political Science department in 2022. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Political Science at Vanderbilt University in the fields of Comparative Politics and International Relations. Her research interests include political and criminal violence, civil-military relations, human rights, and public opinion. She also serves as the Assistant Director of the URI Center of Nonviolence and Peace Studies.
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