Faculty Mentor of the Week Dr. Jillienne Haglund College of Arts & Sciences, Political Science
Dr. Jillienne Haglund is an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the UK College of Arts & Sciences. Haglund’s research and teaching interests fall broadly in the fields of international relations and comparative politics. More specifically, she is interested in human rights, international organizations, international law, and comparative political institutions. Her work seeks to illuminate the extent to which international law constrains state human rights behavior.
In the past year, Dr. Haglund has mentored eight students, including five working as research assistants in various capacities on a National Science Foundation funded project. Dr. Haglund's research students collect data on the quantity and quality of recommendations made by international human rights legal bodies, like the European Court of Human Rights and the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, as well as assist with the collection of data on compliance with international human rights law. Haglund explained, "Students are trained to analyze the content of human rights reports from international human rights legal bodies and code data on the extent to which countries implement the recommendations made by international legal bodies to states." When considering undergraduate students for research, Dr. Haglund appreciates students who are intellectually curious and enthusiastic about the research topic and added, "I also look for students who are driven, ambitious, and take initiative by seeking out opportunities to work on undergraduate research." Dr. Haglund finds much joy in mentoring undergraduate research students and believes that the best thing about being an undergraduate research mentor "is watching undergraduate students develop an intellectual curiosity in a research topic. It is so rewarding to see them develop their own new research ideas as a result of their involvement with a research project."
Dr. Haglund's personal experience as an undergraduate research assistant working on a human rights data collection project (CIRI Human Rights Dataset) influenced her decision to go to graduate school and pursue a career in academic research. Haglund explained, "I’ve been fortunate to have several incredible mentors throughout my academic career, and I find it rewarding to pay it forward by using the wisdom I’ve gained through these experiences to invest in undergraduate students at UK." When asked about what advice she would give to current students considering research, Dr. Haglund replied, "Undergraduate students interested in research should take the initiative to reach out to faculty with whom they share an interest. Faculty often have research tasks that can be done by undergraduate students, and by taking initiative, undergraduates can make important connections with faculty members, which can be important for years to come."
Thank you Dr. Jillienne Haglund for your unwavering support of undergraduate research at the University of Kentucky. We are pleased to recognize your dedication this week as our Faculty Mentor of the Week.
Dr. Jillienne Haglund - College of Arts & Sciences, Political Science