Olive Coles graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Russian and East European studies and political science. Originally from London, U.K., her current research is motivated by conceptions of 'truth' in the post-Soviet space, investigating the semantics of modern authoritarianism primarily through the lens of narrative, memory, and poetic language. Olive is also passionate about energy geopolitics and has held research positions in both Kyrgyzstan and the United States exploring aspects of 'green' energy transition. She hopes to continue this work at Harvard.