About Aleksandra Gadzala

Aleksandra was born in Europe and was raised in France, Canada and the United States. She is a Doctoral Candidate in Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford and holds a BA (magna cum laude) in Political Science and Philosophy from Northwestern University, and a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Comparative Government (with Distinction) from Merton College, Oxford. Her research examines the evolving dynamics of U.S-Chinese-Ethiopian relations from the period of the Cold War through the present day, analyzing in particular the ways in which the contemporary global rise of China is altering Ethiopia’s strategic calculus vis-a-vis the ‘West.’

Aleksandra works as a Research Officer with the Global Economic Governance Programme, Oxford and as an Africa Region Consultant at the London-based risk and consulting firm, Control Risks. She has previously worked as an Editorial Assistant with the Journal of Eastern African Studies; an Aid Effectiveness Policy Analyst with the United Nations Development Programme, an Analyst with the G8 Research Group, and as a Senior Research Assistant with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. She has also worked as a Corporate Analyst with the D.E. Shaw Group, supplying both governments and Fortune 500 companies with investment risk analysis.