Jessie Trudeau is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on organized crime and policing, primarily in Brazil. She is currently revising her book manuscript, “Machine Gun Politics: Why Politicians Cooperate with Criminal Groups,” which explains why local candidates collude electorally with criminal organizations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her peer-reviewed articles have appeared in World Development and EconomiA. Honors include the 2023 American Political Science Association (APSA) Urban and Local Politics Section’s Best Dissertation award and 2022 APSA Pi Sigma Alpha Best Paper Award. Her research has been supported by various organizations, including the Electoral Integrity Project, Meta Corporations, and the Corporación Andino de Fomiento. Trudeau earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2022 and was a post-doctoral fellow with Brown University’s Program for Philosophy, Politics and Economics.