Graduate Students
Current Graduate Students
Jim Clayton
Analyst focused on domestic extremism, drone weaponization, and emerging security threats. Graduate student in political science with a background in English literature, policy research, and strategic communication. My work examines how commercial technologies, extremist networks, and weak governance structures intersect, with particular attention to drones, AI-enabled systems, and dual-use supply chains. I bring a writer’s eye, a researcher’s discipline, and a policy-focused approach to questions of public safety, democratic resilience, and technological accountability.
Erika Gonzalez Alonso
Erika plans to graduate in May 2027, apply to law school, and become a family law attorney. Her research interest is Latino Voting regarding recent elections.
Recently Graduated Students
Osama Al Amosh
Osama Al Amosh is a graduate student in Political Science and Government at the University of Texas at Tyler, where he focuses on the intersection of global politics, development, and emerging technologies. His academic work integrates political theory with contemporary policy challenges, and he is involved in a range of teaching and research activities that support the department’s academic mission. Osama’s primary research interest centers on the geopolitics of technology, AI hardware, and global supply chains, with a particular focus on how emerging technological chokepoints shape international power dynamics and development outcomes. Osama plans to pursue a career in diplomacy and international development, aiming to contribute to evidence based policymaking, strengthen international cooperation, and support initiatives that advance equity, institutional resilience, and sustainable development.
Pie-René N. Ikota
Pie-René N. Ikota is a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a French-speaking
country in the heart of Africa. He came to the United States in 2001 as a pastor,
already holding
a Master of Theological Studies, speaking French, Portuguese, and Lingala but not
English.
Since 2006, he has served as pastor of All Nations Church in Dallas, Texas. Married
and the
father of four, he earned an Associate degree from Tarrant County College District
in 2020 and a
B.A. in Political Science and French from The University of Texas at Arlington in
2022, where
he also served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in French and Political Science.
Ikota began his M.A. in Political Science at UTA before transferring to The University
of Texas
at Tyler through a scholarship opportunity. He earned his M.A. in Political Science
from UT
Tyler in Summer 2026, with a concentration in International and Comparative Politics,
and
served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Political Science. While completing his
degree, he
regularly drove approximately 120 miles each way between the DFW area and Tyler, two
to
three times a week, while continuing his pastoral ministry and caring for his family.
After 25 years in the United States, Ikota completed his graduate studies in his late
fifties. His
journey -from arriving without English to earning advanced degrees in the United States
while
leading a church and raising a family - reflects his conviction that circumstances,
age, or
responsibilities do not have to limit one's pursuit of education. He plans to begin
a Ph.D. in
Political Science at the University of North Texas in Fall 2027, continuing in International
and
Comparative Politics.
As a pastor, educator, and scholar, Ikota hopes his journey will encourage other adults,
working
professionals, and international students to pursue their academic goals with courage,
resilience,
and determination.
Kelli Hefner
Kelli Hefner began her academic career at the University of Texas at Tyler, earning a B.S. in Social Science with an emphasis in Anthropology and a minor in Psychology before continuing into the Political Science M.A. program. During her graduate studies, her research interests developed around political authority, globalization, and international relations, with much of her work examining social movements and genocide. After graduating with her M.A. in August 2026, Kelli is now continuing her academic career at Texas Woman’s University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology. Her research continues to examine institutional power and social change while further developing the interdisciplinary foundation she established through her time at UT Tyler.