B.A. Psychology (minor in History), Texas State University A.A. General Studies (minor in History), Austin Community College Culinary Arts, Kilgore Junior College
Favorite Spot on Campus
PhD Suite
Bio
Steven is a Ph.D. student in International Relations at American University, where his research investigates how authoritarian regimes weaponize food to govern, punish, and displace civilian populations. His work develops the concept of "migration through food," a framework that treats culinary memory, improvisation, and adaptation as methods of survival and identity-making among displaced Syrians.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Steven draws on his experience in conflict zones and humanitarian logistics to inform a research agenda grounded in critical theory, oral history, and ethnography. He has engaged in archival research and will conduct international fieldwork as part of a broader investigation into displacement, food, and authoritarian violence.
His research engages critical debates across political science, history, and anthropology, with particular attention to biopolitics, humanitarian governance, and the lived experience of displacement. He has presented his work at academic conferences and policy forums across disciplines, including international relations, history, and global development.
