Kelebogile Zvobgo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Government at The College of William & Mary, a faculty affiliate at the Global Research Institute, and founder and director of the International Justice Lab. She earned her Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California, where she was Provost's Fellow in the Social Sciences, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, and a recipient of the 2021 USC Ph.D. Achievement Award. She received her B.A. (with honors) in International Relations and French Language & Literature from Pomona College.
Dr. Zvobgo’s research engages questions in human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts, and has been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including the International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Human Rights, and International Journal of Transitional Justice. Her work has also been featured in mainstream outlets like Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and The Washington Post. She has appeared on ABC News, Bloomberg TV, CNN, NPR, and PRX, and has been quoted in The Atlantic and Vox, among others.Both the American Political Science Association and the International Studies Association awarded her Best Paper in Human Rights in 2019 and Best Dissertation in Human Rights in 2022. Also recognized for her teaching, she is the recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Craig L. Brians Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Mentorship.
Much of her past and ongoing work concerns quasi-judicial and judicial bodies that have proliferated around the globe over the past half-century to address serious violations of human rights law and humanitarian law. Thus far, her scholarship has centered on domestic truth commissions and international criminal tribunals, especially the International Criminal Court.
Dr. Zvobgo’s work has been generously supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of the Provost at the University of Southern California, and William & Mary’s Global Research Institute.
