Prof. Mendenhall is a political scientist working on the challenges of global governance in non-terrestrial domains, especially the ocean. Her research focuses on the intersections between Earth system science and international policy-making, especially the relationship between scientific uncertainty and the politicization of scientific concepts and theories. Her work considers the implications of scientific knowledge accumulation and technological change for international politics, and argues that inflexibility can be understood as a pathology in institutional design.

Prof. Mendenhall earned her PhD in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2017, specializing in International Relations. Her dissertation is a historical case analysis of global commons ‘regimes’ in the ocean and outer space. She is currently working on an associated book project, which will add the comparative cases of the atmosphere and electromagnetic spectrum. Prof. Mendenhall chose this approach and this project because of its broad relevance for understanding the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation.

Prof. Mendenhall looks forward to centering her research portfolio on challenges in ocean governance at the same time the United Nations is considering a new agreement surrounding biodiversity in the high seas. In particular, she is interested in the political significance of ocean acidification, sea-level rise, and over-fishing. Her theoretical approach unpacks the interactions between technology, ecology, and geography on a planetary scale, and considers their relevance for the construction of political geographies like territories, jurisdictions, and ‘flag’ systems.  Prof. Mendenhall is also interested in the political salience of environmentalist thought.

Before pursuing her PhD, Prof. Mendenhall earned a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Kansas State University. While there, she wrote a weekly opinion column for the student newspaper, and won a national championship on the debate team. Outside of her academic work, Prof. Mendenhall serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Women’s Debate Institute, an organization that seeks to redress gender inequalities in competitive policy debate. Her hobbies include scuba diving, hiking, and appreciating old and beautiful trees.