Katya Migacheva

Associate Behavioral and Social Scientist

Santa Monica Office

Education

Ph.D. in social psychology, University of Massachusetts

Overview

Katya Migacheva is a social and behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. In her research, she has sought to understand the socio-psychological roots of conflict and approaches to peacebuilding.

With the support of multiple grants and a fellowship from the U.S. State Department, Migacheva researched ways to foster positive contact between racial and ethnic groups in the United States and conducted international work to understand how drastic societal transformations affect intergroup relations. Additionally, Migacheva consulted for local and international NGOs on the issues of peace education, overcoming prejudice and discrimination, and integration of refugees/migrants in host societies.

Prior to joining RAND in late 2014, Migacheva served as a senior fellow on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. Congress. In this position, she advised members of Congress on human rights and foreign policy, as well as liaised with U.S. and foreign governments, international organizations, and relief agencies in order to facilitate humanitarian efforts, protect human rights, and prevent conflict in volatile contexts and refugee crises.

Migacheva's current research work and interests focus on disadvantaged and underserved populations, intergroup conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, youth and sociopolitical processes in transitionary contexts, religion and conflict, prevention of bias crimes, and building peaceful communities. In addition, Migacheva has led and contributed to multiple program evaluations, with a particular focus on educational programming, domestically and internationally.

Migacheva holds a Ph.D. in social psychology, with a concentration in psychology of peace and violence, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Research Focus

Languages

Russian; Spanish; English

Publications

Report
Superspreaders of Malign and Subversive Information on COVID-19: Russian and Chinese Efforts Targeting the United States
This report, part of the Truth Decay initiative, is one in a series describing malign and subversive information efforts related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that Russian and Chinese outlets appear to have used to target U.S. audiences.
Apr 29, 2021
Report
Georgia II STEM Higher Education Interim Evaluation Report
The authors evaluate the implementation of a San Diego State University partnership with three universities in the country of Georgia, part of a U.S.-Georgia collaboration to improve university education in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Jan 5, 2021
Journal Article
Georgia II STEM Higher Education Evaluation Design Report (Revised)
U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation is funding a higher education partnership in the country of Georgia. This report delineates the evaluation design and approach that will be used for evaluating the successes and challenges of this effort.
2019
Report
Russia's Hostile Measures: Combating Russian Gray Zone Aggression Against NATO in the Contact, Blunt, and Surge Layers of Competition
Exploring opportunities to deter, prevent, and counter Russia's use of hostile measures is critical to containing their consequences for both target countries and Western alliances and in both the gray zone short of war and conventional warfare.
Jan 7, 2020
Report
The Future of the Russian Military: Russia's Ground Combat Capabilities and Implications for U.S.-Russia Competition
Researchers analyze societal, political, economic, and demographic factors that undergird Russian military power. They also make projections about how Russian ground combat capabilities will evolve in the future and how the U.S. Army can respond.
Jun 18, 2019
Research Brief
What Will Russian Military Capabilities Look Like in the Future?
RAND researchers analyzed the development of Russia's military capabilities over the next 20 years -- with a focus on ground combat -- and the implications of that development for U.S.-Russian competition and for the U.S. Army.
Jun 18, 2019
Report
"The Project May Serve the Nation — But What About Us, Who Live Here?": Villagers' Views of the Dawei Special Economic Zone, an Internationally Funded Infrastructure Project in Myanmar
To gain a better understanding of how foreign infrastructure investment in Myanmar may affect local communities, RAND researchers conducted a survey of 250 residents of communities near the Dawei Special Economic Zone.
Jun 4, 2019
Research Brief
The Growing Need to Focus on Modern Political Warfare
RAND researchers analyzed how political warfare is practiced today and identified ways that the U.S. government, its allies, and its partners can respond to or engage in this type of conflict to achieve U.S. ends and protect U.S. interests.
May 31, 2019
Report
Modern Political Warfare: Current Practices and Possible Responses
Analyzes how political warfare is practiced today and identifies the most effective ways that the U.S. government, along with its allies and partners, can respond to or engage in this type of conflict to achieve U.S. ends and protect U.S. interests.
Apr 5, 2018
Report
Religion, Conflict, and Stability in the Former Soviet Union
Religion has become increasingly important in the sociopolitical life of countries in the former Soviet Union. This volume of essays examines how religion affects conflict and stability in the region and provides recommendations to policymakers.
Jan 15, 2018
Report
School Leadership Interventions Under the Every Student Succeeds Act: Evidence Review: Updated and Expanded
This updated report presents a synthesis of the evidence base on school leadership interventions and describes the opportunities for supporting such interventions under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Dec 14, 2017
Report
Lessons from Russia's Operations in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine
This report assesses the annexation of Crimea by Russia (February-March 2014) and the early phases of political mobilization and combat operations in Eastern Ukraine (late February to late May 2014).
May 9, 2017