Tasnia Symoom (Bangladesh)

PhD Student in Political Science

Originally from Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tasnia is researching the effects of political and economic inequality on domestic protests as well as media framing of political inequality. "I firmly believe that political science can go a long way in helping to understand the behavior of individuals and society better," she said.

"I care deeply about women's issues, in particular the constraints that women face in developing entrepreneurial talent, in removing gender gaps in access and control of resources, and in collaborative work for legislative success," Tasnia said. "The research interests of the faculty in the Political Science department at UK on women empowerment and gender quotas, among others, had great appeal to me."

In the future, Tasnia hopes to be able to suggest policies for stable democratic politics and faster economic growth, especially in developing countries. "The training in theory and statistics that I have been receiving at UK has taken my research skills to a much higher level," she said. "I want to use the quantitative research skills I have acquired at UK to analyze practices in domestic politics and international relations."

Tasnia holds an undergraduate degree from Asian University for Women where she majored in Economics with a minor in Development Studies.