Michael Lopate is a PhD Candidate in International Relations and Political Methodology at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on applying complex systems theory to international problems. His dissertation develops a new, rigorous theory of great power decline, explaining decline as a result of becoming strong, part of a trade-off between strength and stability that all states make. Beyond his dissertation, he has also written on international order formation and conflict escalation dynamics. Michael is a believer in using computational techniques to advance social science, in particular using agent-based modeling and artificial intelligence to produce novel insights into complex problems. Michael’s research has been published in the American Journal of Political Science and appeared on WarOnTheRocks, and has been supported by the National Science Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Michael holds an M.A. in International Relations from The University of Chicago’s CIR program, and a B.A. in International Relations from San Francisco State University (go Gators).