Honors Tutorial College student Alexis Eberlein addresses human security issues relating to the environment

Alexis Eberlein credits the student leaders she interacted with on campus in her first semester for inspiring her to become involved in hands-on, impactful projects. However, as a senior studying political science in the Honors Tutorial College (HTC), Eberlein has grown into the leader she once looked up to.

“I have known since my first semester at Ohio University that I wanted to become involved with the Voinovich School in some capacity and hopefully become a Voinovich Research Scholar during my time at OHIO,” Eberlein, a Charles R. & Lizabeth K. Emrick Cutler Scholar and Voinovich Research Scholar, said. “Several of the student leaders on campus that I looked up to as a first-year student were Voinovich Scholars and I was inspired by the hands-on and impactful research projects they were taking part in.”

Eberlein, who also has a focus on war and peace studies, is interested in international law and human rights and as a Voinovich Scholar has been able to dive into international legal and human security issues relating to the environment. She is currently researching potential global governance and security dilemmas surrounding geoengineering, which involves large-scale technological interventions on the earth’s climate system to reduce or reverse the negative impacts of climate change.

“While scientific developments show potential for success, there is also a very large amount of uncertainty surrounding the potential risks such interventions may create,” Eberlein explained. “My research addresses the need for the international community to develop a consensus on how best to govern geoengineering and build the capacity to do so equitably and with local, regional, and global implications in mind.”

To further her work in human security issues and the environment, her HTC director of studies, Dr. Andrew Ross, introduced her to Dr. Geoff Dabelko’s research group where she was able to learn more about the impactful work Dabelko was doing with climate security and get involved as a research apprentice for the summer.

“I commend Alexis and students like her who seek out experiences that push them outside their topical or disciplinary comfort zones,” Dabelko said. “Alexis as a political science HTC student with a traditional foreign and security policy focus did not have a lot of previous experience with environment or climate change topics, but she did not shy away from committing to in-depth research on this related area because she could see the value of diversifying her knowledge base while further developing policy-friendly communication skill sets.”

Being part of Dabelko’s research group has helped lead Eberlein into her current role as a Voinovich Research Scholar where she has continued to develop her leadership and professional skills through hands-on environmental security research, even getting the opportunity to work with external partners based in Washington, D.C., and Stockholm, Sweden.

As a scholar in Dabelko’s research group, Eberlein has been assisting on a project that is part of the Stockholm International Peace and Research Institute’s (SIPRI) 2022 Environment of Peace report. According to Eberlein, this multi-national initiative aims to increase understanding of how climate change and other environmental crises increase risks to peace and security.

The Environment of Peace Initiative will produce a series of reports over the next year, and researchers in the Voinovich School are helping to lead one section of the report. Eberlein was the primary drafter of the analysis of the conflict potential of geoengineering as a possible response to climate change. She, as well as environmental studies graduate student Daniel Bell-Moran, are two contributors among dozens drawn from all over the world working on the international project.  

“It has been a really rewarding experience working on this project as it has involved collaborating with an international team of researchers from diverse fields of expertise to fulfill the project goal of illuminating pathways for policy and action,” Eberlein said.

Eberlein has also assisted in editing proofs of scholarly articles prior to publication, reviewed emerging literature on environmental security topics, and had the opportunity to interview former Greek Naval Officer in the Hellenic Navy and current Environmental Security scholar, Dimitrios Kantemnidis. Her work was recently published on The Woodrow Wilson Center’s New Security Beat and highlights the importance of merging the environmental and security sectors in climate risk responses.

According to Dabelko, Eberlein is one of several students working in the Dabelko Research Group who has published contributions in the dynamic policy-focused outlet for the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Wilson Center.

“The Voinovich School adopts a learning by doing approach inside and outside the classroom,” Dabelko explained. “In this case, the external applied research mission of the school enables Voinovich Scholars like Alexis to work with a wide-range of practitioners from literally around the world. Our section Zoom calls have started as early as 7 a.m. for Alexis and me because we have collaborators in Australia, Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Working with a range of professionals at various stages in their careers gives Alexis insights into the absolutely essential skills of working on single projects in an interdisciplinary and international group with real deadlines and large anticipated audiences.”

Eberlein aspires to be an international lawyer working to address human rights issues for an international organization or government entity. She is also interested in diplomacy and would be interested in pursuing a career in the Foreign Service.

“Through my research with Dr. Dabelko, I have learned how deeply connected the environment is to health, security, and the protection of human rights on an international level,” Eberlein said. “Working with Dr. Dabelko has also taught me that professional growth that can come from seeking out new opportunities and connections. Dr. Dabelko’s mentorship has helped me to grow as a student, researcher, and aspiring practitioner in countless ways. He is extremely dedicated to the success of his scholars and consistently points to opportunities available for students both on campus and externally to pursue new and exciting involvements.”