Dr. Melissa Schnyder

Dr. Schnyder's research broadly focuses on transnational and supranational political activity by non-state actors with a focus on the European Union (EU) and North America. In focusing on non-state actors, she primarily examines non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society actors working in human security policy areas, including forced displacement and migration, climate change and environmental sustainability, and food security or food sovereignty. Most of the existing research in this area tends to focus on only a single level of governance, and much of the existing scholarship consists of single case studies or limited comparative research. Her research aims to fill gaps in knowledge by studying the relationship between the domestic, transnational, and supranational/international levels, and the ways in which non-state actors simultaneously use each of these arenas to press their claims and influence the political process. Dr. Schnyder employs both quantitative and quantitative methodologies, including survey research, statistical analysis, content analysis, and in-person interviews. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining elements from international relations, social movement studies, and European Union studies. She has held visiting faculty and researcher positions at the University of Kent Brussels School of International Studies, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels), and the German Marshall Fund of the United States Transatlantic Center in Brussels, Belgium. She was a Fulbright Fellow to the European Union, and has participated in transatlantic symposia. Her research has been published in a variety of peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Contemporary European Research, Journal of European Integration, Comparative European Politics, Social Movement Studies, Interface: A Journal for and about Social Movements, and includes books published by Roman and Littlefield International Press and Lexington Books. Dr. Schnyder earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from Indiana University in Bloomington.