Meridith LaVelle, Ph.D. (she/her)

Dr. LaVelle is a post-doc researcher with the Chair of Political Science, International Affairs at the University of Mannheim. She successfully defended her dissertation “Computer World: How Digital Technologies Impact Human Rights” and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in the summer of 2025. 

Meridith earned her MA in Political Science and International Affairs (May 2020), BA in International Affairs (Fall 2016), and AB in German Language (Spring 2016) from the University of Georgia.

Her research agenda focuses on human rights, tech and politics, political violence, and most specifically digital repression. Meridith's research has appeared in the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Human Rights, and Human Rights Review. Recently, she published a co-authored piece with Chad Clay titled, “Human Rights Measurement” in the Oxford Encyclopedia of International Studies. She has been part of the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) since August 2019, first work with the Civil and Political Rights Team. Now, Meridith is also the Digital Rights Lead for HRMI. Meridith is also an Advocacy Team member at Digihub Africa. 

Clay, K. Chad and Meridith LaVelle. “Human Rights Measurement” Oxford Encyclopedia of International Studies. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190846626.013.808

Bagwell, Stephen, Skip Mark, Meridith LaVelle, and Asia Parker. (2023). “Union Rights and Inequalities.” (PDF)Human Rights Review 24:465–483. DOI: 10.1007/s12142-023-00706-3

Bagwell, Stephen, Matthew Rains, and Meridith LaVelle. (2023). “Of One's Own Making: Leadership Legitimation Strategy and Human Rights” (PDF)Journal of Conflict Resolution. DOI: 10.1177/00220027231220006.

K. Chad Clay, Mennah Abdelwahab, Stephen Bagwell, Morgan Barney, Eduardo Burkle, Tori Hawley, Thalia Kehoe Rowden, Meridith LaVelle, Asia Parker & Matthew Rains (2022). “The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights practices: Findings from the Human Rights Measurement Initiative’s 2021 Practitioner Survey” (PDF)Journal of Human Rights 21(3): 317–333. DOI: 10.1080/14754835.2022.2082244