Welcome

I am an incoming Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Graduate School of International Relations at the International University of Japan. I completed my PhD in Political Science at Texas A&M University in 2026.

My core research focuses on how autocratic institutions emerge and evolve, and the effects of autocratic institutions in international political economy. My dissertation, “Political Succession and International Political Economy,” examines how political stability leads to autocracies adopting succession rules and how these succession rules then make it easier for autocracies to issue sovereign bonds in sub-Saharan Africa. Other research projects address topics such as nativism, foreign direct investment, and signaling.

Above, you can find links to my current CV, my research projects, and information about my teaching.

Feel free to contact me at ssharman13@tamu.edu.