Dr. Mihalache-O’Keef has an interdisciplinary research agenda that emphasizes domestic and international factors, especially conflict, political instability, and environmental degradation, as determinants of geopolitical risk to foreign direct investors. It also recognizes the political agency of foreign investors and their ability to influence the investment environment. Her work is published in International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Peace Research, and World Development. Mihalache-O’Keef grew up in Romania and came to the US earn her BA, MA, and PhD. She received a PhD in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University’s Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance.