Jittip Mongkolnchaiarunya

I am a PhD Candidate in Political Science at the George Washington University. 

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My research interests lie at the intersection of global governance, climate change, science and technology studies, with a view from the Global South.

​My dissertation investigates the structural barriers for Global South climate scientists from being recognized in the global climate governance, to the detriment of both the Global South and the planet as a whole. I demonstrate this in three cases where there is an absence of Global South expertise:  the biosphere and why we grow trees in the wrong places; the deep ocean and why we increasingly (mis)designate it as an ideal site for carbon sequestration; and the design and implementation of carbon markets and why international crediting standards risk violating environmental integrity.

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My paper, “Why do we Grow the Wrong Trees,” which is derived from my dissertation, recently received the International Studies Association’s Robert W. & Jessie Cox Award (2024–2025) and the International Studies Association’s Honorable Mention for the Fred Hartmann Award (2024).

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The fieldwork of my research has been financially supported by the American Political Science Association's Summer Centennial Center Research Grant, GWU’s Sigur Center for Asian Studies Research Grants, and the International Studies Association's Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

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I also have side projects on the curse of centrality, the anti-escalation logic of strategic ambiguity, and the problem of interpretive ambiguity in rhetorical entrapment. My co-authored work, “Emotions and Expert Authority in Global Governance,” is forthcoming in the Oxford Handbook of Emotions in International Relations.

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Prior to coming to GWU, I received my MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and my BA from Thammasat University. I am the recipient of the Anandamahidol Foundation Scholarship under H.M. the King of Thailand (2015-2021).