Laura Henry

Laura Henry is Professor of Government and Chair of the Department of Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College, with cross-appointment in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Her academic home resides within Bowdoin's Government and Legal Studies framework, where she teaches courses on contemporary Russian politics, environmental politics, and social movements.

Her research spans three interconnected domains:

• State-society relations in Russia with focus on environmental politics, Arctic resource extraction, and Indigenous rights
• Russian engagement in global governance on climate change, deforestation, and HIV/AIDS
• Comparative analysis of BRICS nations' participation in international institutions

Current projects examine how activists adapt under repression or exile following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sanctions' impact on climate policy, and the future of Arctic oil extraction.

Her publication trajectory reveals deepening engagement with authoritarian adaptation mechanisms, transnational activism networks, and the intersection of environmental governance with geopolitical conflict. Recent work emphasizes exile activism, digital authoritarianism, and climate policy under sanctions.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Fulbright Scholar award
• Watson Foundation fellowship
• Sydney B. Karofsky Prize for Junior Faculty
• Andrew W. Mellon Sabbatical Leave Fellowship

Henry actively mentors undergraduate researchers, with student projects examining digital authoritarianism, EU environmental policy, and climate migration. Her research has received funding from the National Security Education Program, Social Science Research Council, and International Research and Exchange Board. Current projects include SSHRC-funded work on everyday activism in Russia and Bowdoin-funded research on war-time activism in exile.