In his dissertation, “Blueprints for Peace: International Missions, Domestic Commitments, and Post-Conflict Reforms,” Mailhot examines variation in the international enforcement of peace agreements and effects this has on peace outcomes.

The USIP Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship program has supported the dissertations of 339 young scholars since 1988. Many of them have gone on to distinguished careers in research, scholarship, and policymaking. This nonresidential fellowship is awarded to PhD students enrolled in U.S. universities who are writing doctoral dissertations on topics broadly related to conflict management, peacebuilding and other related security studies. The award carries a $20,000 stipend and is funded by the Minerva Research Initiative. 

Mailhot's research focuses on the role of the international community in post-conflict countries. His research, fieldwork, and training have been supported by American Councils, the Cornell Department of Government, the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Purdue Peace Project, and the US Department of State. During his time in Kosovo, he is a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Political Courage. Beyond his dissertation, his research interests include nation and state-building, the origins of social and political trust, and transnational linkages of white nationalism in the U.S. and Europe.

Prior to starting his PhD, Mailhot worked in the Human Rights Program at the University of Minnesota, where he conducted research on transitional justice and contributed to a consortium dedicated to increasing public awareness of the patterns of disappearances in northern Mexico. Cameron is from Crosby, Minnesota, and holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

You can read more about Mailhot's dissertation project here.