Erin Lin, Associate Professor of Political Science
Position: Associate Professor; Department of Political Science
Email: lin.2657@osu.edu
Office: 2084 Derby Hall
Mail: 2084 Derby Hall; 154 North Oval Mall; Columbus, OH 43210
I specialize in the study of war’s long-term effects on human and economic development, both in Cambodia and more globally. One of the things that I especially seek to do in my research and writing is to recover a more dynamic appreciation of the historical processes that shape development, by integrating personal interviews and on-the-ground fieldwork with archival data. I’m also interested in exploring multidisciplinary approaches to answer key questions in political science.
My work incorporates techniques from computer science, machine learning, soil science, economics, and anthropology. My book, When the Bombs Stopped: The Legacy of War in Rural Cambodia, documents how undetonated bombs from the Vietnam War still affect Cambodian farmers and their land. I also publish on the long-term impacts of the Khmer Rouge genocide.
My research has received prominent media coverage from The Economist, Gizmodo, Fox News, and The Cambodia Daily, among other media outlets. In 2021, I was elected to the Board of Trustees at Mines Advisory Group, a humanitarian organization dedicated to the removal of unexploded bombs and landmines. In 2022, I was named a Young Investigator by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, which awards half-million dollar grants to early career scientists who show exceptional promise for conducting research of military interest.