Alexis M. Lerner, Ph.D., is a political scientist and author specializing in authoritarianism, Holocaust studies, and applied data science. Her 2025 monograph Post-Soviet Graffiti: Free Speech in Authoritarian States won the 2026 Charles Taylor Best Book Award and was named by Chatham House, a top London-based think tank, as among the year’s ‘top ten’ books in international affairs. Currently an assistant professor at the United States Naval Academy, Dr. Lerner is actively publishing on authoritarian dissent management, drone warfare in the Russo-Ukrainian War, the ethics of using artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate Holocaust archives, and Gen Z attitudes toward antisemitism. She contributes to the USC CANDLE mission as a methodologist, with a focus on survey design, implementation, and analysis.