Elizabeth Vartkessian

DPhil student

Elizabeth Vartkessian came to Oxford in 2003 to read for an MSc in Comparative Social Policy after obtaining a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from The George Washington University, in Washington D.C. Elizabeth’s MSc dissertation analyzed the impact of public opinion on capital punishment policies in Britain and the United States. From Oxford Elizabeth moved to Houston, Texas where she began work as a mitigation specialist charged with the task of collecting life history information for the defense of clients facing capital murder charges in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Elizabeth began her DPhil in October 2007 under the supervision of Dr Carolyn Hoyle. Her research focuses on the construction and presentation of mitigation evidence in death penalty cases in Texas.