Michael Dirksen

Education

BA, Hope College, 2012

MA, American University, 2016

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2023

Biography

I grew up in Michigan and knew from a very young age that I wanted to study politics. Participating in Policy Debate and We the People in High School fed that desire. I attended Hope College for my undergraduate degree where I received my B.A. in Political Science and International Relations in 2012. After working for AmeriCorps for a year, I went off to American University where I studied Peace and Conflict Resolution. My masters thesis focused on the Indus Water Treaty and how water specifically is integral to understanding the conflict between India and Pakistan. After my masters, I attended University of Illinois at Chicago for my Ph.D. where I continued to study water governance at the local level. I moved back to Grand Rapids in 2020, and started the Post-Doctoral Fellows program here at Calvin University in 2022.

Outside of academia, I enjoy fly-fishing, hiking, and hanging out with my dog Copper.