Willow Kreutzer

Willow’s research focuses on gender, conflict, and international institutions. Some of her current research projects include examining how states' commitments to the UN Treaty CEDAW influence women’s rights over time; how rebel commitments to human rights affect violence against civilians, particularly violence against women; how natural disasters influence women’s political trust in their government in post-disaster countries; and how different peace agreements after civil war can influence the duration of peace as well as create a sense of healing for citizens. Overall, she is curious about how gender influences and is influenced by institutions and the outcomes created by these institutions for women. She hopes to add to the current field by engaging on a deeper level with feminist literature and institutional design to help create solutions to issues for women. Willow graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, as well as two minors in Gender & Women Studies and International Studies. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in Political Science and is working to complete her Graduate Certificate in Gender Women’s and Sexuality Studies in addition to her Ph.D. in Political Science.