Karis is a PhD Student studying Comparative Politics and Political Methodology. Her research considers state involvement in shaping social identities including ethnic group identification and national attachment in Africa. She is particularly interested in the implications of state actions for groups with ambiguous or transitory relationships with the state including refugees, migrants, and individuals lacking formal documentation.

She holds a B.S. in International Studies and a B.A. in Economics from Indiana University in Bloomington. Before coming to OSU, she worked as a program assistant on refugee, education, and public health projects in Goré, Chad and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and as a high school English teaching assistant in Mende, France.