Speaker: Jennifer Davis, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Intelligence Analysis Program, James Madison University
Topic: Whether International Law Matters
Bio: Dr. Jennifer Davis is an Associate Professor in the Intelligence Analysis Program at James Madison University, and a prior Associate Professor and Associate Director of Research at the National Intelligence University in Washington, D.C. She is a 17-year veteran of the intelligence community, serving at DIA, ODNI, and the State Department. In 2022, Dr. Davis worked with the Office of the National Intelligence Manager for Climate and Global Issues, focusing on efforts concerning war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine. From 2022 to 2023, she also worked at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice on cases concerning international criminal accountability. In her role as Special Advisor to the Office of Global Criminal Justice, Dr. Davis provided research for Ambassador Beth Van Schaack’s team to support the International Criminal Court’s cases against Omar al-Bashir and other ICC-indicted individuals in Sudan.
Dr. Davis holds a Ph.D. and a M.Phil. from the George Washington University in Political Science, a M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and two B.A.s from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, in French and Political Science. Dr. Davis’s research expertise focuses on human rights and war crimes, the role of women in intelligence, Europe and Eurasia, and democracy and democratization efforts. Her dissertation explored the use of child soldiers globally, and her current academic research explores international cases concerning genocide at the International Court of Justice and the ICC, as well as Russian influence operations in Europe.
She is an active officer in the Human Rights Section of the International Studies Association (ISA), a prior Chair and Vice Chair for the International Law Section, and served on ISA’s Executive Board from 2018-2020. Dr. Davis was a 2014 ODNI Exceptional Analyst Fellow, and received the Director’s Award of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2018. Dr. Davis is also a current nominee for the University-level Purple Star Award at the James Madison University.
