Solon Simmons, PhD
Lab Director
Solon Simmons is an Associate Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Carter School at George Mason University, with a PhD in sociology. He is the author of Root Narrative Theory and Conflict Resolution (Routledge, 2020), The Eclipse of Equality: Arguing America on Meet the Press (Stanford University Press, 2013) and Professors and Their Politics with Neil Gross (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014). He served as interim dean for the Carter School in 2013, and Vice President for Global Strategy for George Mason from 2014–2017. At the Carter School, he teaches classes on conflict theory, narrative, media, discourse and conflict, human rights, quantitative and qualitative methodology, global conflict, and critical theory.
Selected Publications
BOOKS
Root Narrative Theory and Conflict Resolution: Power, Justice and Values. New York: Routledge, 2020.
The Eclipse of Equality: Arguing America on Meet the Press. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013.
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
“Root Narrative Theory and Character Assassination.” Journal of Applied Social Theory 1, no. 3 (2021): 158–185.
“Struggle and Martyrdom: Abusive Power and Root Narrative in the Aftermath of the Eritrean Revolution.” Peace and Conflict Studies 27, no. 2 (2020): 1–31. DOI: 10.46743/1082-7307/2020.1686.
Audrey Williams, PhD Candidate
Lab Manager
Audrey Williams is a PhD candidate in Conflict Analysis and Resolution at the Carter School at George Mason University, where she is also a Presidential Scholar. Her dissertation research focuses on the role of narrative and musical craft in conflict transformation. She earned a Master of Science degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Carter School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and French from the University of Iowa. She was a 2015–16 Fulbright Research Fellow in Ankara, Turkey, and a Fall 2013 Scoville Peace Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.
Selected Publications
BOOKS
Friedman, Adina, and Audrey Williams. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution: From 1981 to 2021 and Beyond. Fairfax, VA: George Mason University Press, 2022.
PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES
Romano, Arthur, Jacob Werblow, and Audrey Williams. “Evolving Conceptualizations of Peace Education in Hiroshima, Japan.” Asian Journal of Peacebuilding 10, no. 2 (2022): 1–24. doi: 10.18588/202209.00a223.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
“‘Like the Beginning of the End of the World: Salvaging the Meaning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Nilima: A Journal of Law and Policy 3, no. 2 (2020): 99–122.
Nayeon Kim
Undergraduate Research Intern
Nayeon Kim is a fourth-year student majoring in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a concentration in Interpersonal Dynamics and minoring in Global Affairs. With experience as a research fellow at the Peace And Conflict Studies Center Asia (PACSC Asia), she’s passionate about creative problem-solving. From Korea, she brings a diverse perspective and aims to use her skills to address conflicts. Interested in how interpersonal dynamics affect conflict resolution, she seeks to foster cross-cultural understanding. Outside academics, she enjoys cultural exchange and promoting dialogue for reconciliation.
Christina Illiano
Undergraduate Research Intern
Christina Illiano is a second-year student at the Carter School pursuing a peace and conflict major with a minor in Italian Studies with an emphasis on language. Her concentration of study in the CAR school is Building Peace in Divided Societies, and she is a current student in the Peacebuilding Fellowship for Spring 2024. During her journey at Mason, she has sought out cultural clubs like the Italian club to build community through cultural ties, and she began a research project on “Violenze sulle donne a Napoli” to counter the violence towards women in her father’s city. Her main goals as a Carter School student are to improve her research skills and use her experience from The Narrative Transformation Lab to change the perspective of women in Italy and all over the world.
Sam Peters
Undergraduate Research Intern
Sam Peters is a fourth-year student pursuing a Conflict Analysis and Resolution major with a concentration in Collaborative Leadership and a minor in Music Technology. A member of the Carter School’s inaugural Political Leadership Academy cohort and the captain of the men’s volleyball team at Mason, Sam’s interests surround creative problem-solving and collaborative approaches to conflict analysis. At The Narrative Transformation Lab, he is focused on aiding in the development of Root Narrative Theory tools.
Roheena Hasanzade
Undergraduate Research Intern
Roheena Hasanzade is a fourth-year student pursuing a degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with concentrations in Justice and Reconciliation and Global Engagement and a minor in Legal Studies. Her main interests include restorative and transitioning justice, and she plans on pursuing a career in law. Roheena’s experiences in conflict resolution include participating in the 2023 Peacebuilding Fellowship and interning at the Prince William Public Defender’s Office and the Carter School’s Transitioning Justice Lab. During her time at The Narrative Transformation Lab, Roheena strives to use narrative to support change in our current criminal justice system.
Kate Fisher
Undergraduate Research Intern
Kate Fisher is a fourth-year Honors College Student pursuing a Conflict Analysis and Resolution major with a concentration in Global Engagement and a Russian minor. She is currently in the Accelerated Master’s program at the Carter School and will become a full-time master’s student in Spring 2024. During her time at the TNT Lab, Kate is studying how social media can create and shape narratives on a global scale.
TNT Lab Undergrad Research Internship Alumni
Nicole Struzinsky (Fall 2022–Spring 2023)
Hannah Schmutzer (Fall 2022–Fall 2023)
Ella Jackson (Spring 2023)
Jaylin Barrett (Spring 2023–Fall 2023)