Tim M
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
Expertise
International Political Economy, Politics, Computational Social Science Research, Digital Currency Governance
Bio
Thoughtful research matters, and it's difficult. Today's most important problems require careful and objective solutions grounded in objective scientific analysis. I am passionate about helping students learn the process of asking bold questions, building the science to answer them, and curating the communications to change the world with their findings. I feel strongly that the earlier these skills are learned, the better. Personally, I find joy in creative expression, the outdoors, and community. My work brings me in contact with a wide diversity of researchers, investors, and developers in the AI space. My free time brings me in contact with poetry, baking, and my two cats as often as possible. I work hard to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere at work, and at home, to enable growth and mindfulness.Project ideas
Effects of Inconsistent Global Regulation in Cutting-Edge Technology
What are the causes and repercussions of inconsistent regulations among countries in the world on emerging technologies, like AI, blockchain, quantum computing, and others? This project would examine any of the following: (i) barriers to effective regulation in cutting-edge issues and implications for lobbying, (ii) incentives for distinct regulatory frameworks by within-country conditions and implications for 'race-to-the-bottom' dynamics, or (iii) expansion of institutional mandates allowing organizations (like the UN, IMF, World Bank, or others) to take global leadership in new issues, and how this expansion shapes global guidelines.
Patterns of Global Crisis Management and Causes of Failure
Why do some issues - like climate change or the Covid-19 pandemic - defy effective global responses, and what are the patterns of global crisis management that produce these failures? Major issues like these can develop slowly or rapidly, including narrow or wide expert communities, and affecting specific or broad segments of society and the economy. This variation complicates global crisis management, which is crucial for mitigating negative effects of crises on individuals, especially those marginalized by existing social and economic infrastructures. This project would take one of two potential approaches: (i) a controlled case comparison between two global crises to examine the similarities and differences and foster analytical insights regarding differences in the outcome of their respective management strategies, or (ii) examination of a particular governing body at the international level to contrast its crisis management success over time, and examine what changes drove differences in outcomes.
Great Power Competition and Domestic Society
How do the dynamics of great power competition - geopolitical rivalries between countries in the world - affect domestic society within countries? History has long examined the drivers of great power competition, often relying on classical arguments of balance of power and institutional arrangements, while domestic political analysis often focuses on issues germane to the voting public. However, less attention is paid to the ways in which these two levels of political process affect one another. This project would examine one of the three following relationships under this purview: (i) how domestic conditions in China or the United States has shaped the bilateral relationship between these two countries in the past two decades, (ii) how the Cold War shaped domestic US policy in the two decades following the collapse of the Soviet Union, or (iii) in any historical example of great power competition, whether any changes in domestic society were necessary and/or sufficient in fostering a peaceful conclusion of international aggression or tensions.