Christia grew up in
Salonika,
Greece. Her father is an agricultural economist. She received her BA from
Columbia College,
Phi Beta Kappa, in 2000 and her MA from
School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University in 2001. She received her PhD from
Harvard University in 2008 and her advisors included
Robert Bates,
Stephen Walt, and
Michael Ignatieff, to whom she served as a teaching assistant for four years. Her research has focused on the political economy of conflict and development in the Muslim world as well as using data science and social science methods to address systemic racism in housing, healthcare, policing, and social media. Her 2012 book "Alliance Formation in Civil Wars," uses realist insights in international relations theory and argues that alliance formation are not inherently based on ethnic or religious lines, but reflect balance of power considerations. She was named director of MIT's Sociotechnical Systems Research Center in 2020, focusing on the study of high-impact, complex societal challenges around the world. == References ==