Christopher Wiley Shay is a postdoctoral research fellow at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University.  He studies transitional justice - especially prosecutions and war crimes trials - and whether these policy instruments can bolster democratization and the rule of law. This topic is part of a broader research agenda that addresses armed insurgencies, civil resistance movements, and their long-term effects on societies and governments. Shay's work draws on a diverse array of quantitative and field-based methodologies, and has been published by the Journal of Global Security Studies, the Journal of Peace Research, the Washington Post, Political Violence at a Glance, and other venues.  

In the past, Shay managed the Nonviolent and Violent Campaigns and Outcomes (NAVCO 2.1) data project for Dr. Erica Chenoweth, as well as the Socio-Economic Rights Fulfillment (SERF) Index for Dr. Susan Randolph. He has also provided analysis on India's long-running Maoist insurgency (the "Naxalites") to the International Institute of Strategic Studies and has conducted fieldwork in Nepal. He received his Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School and his master's degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University.

Prior to his graduate studies, Shay was an outdoor educator and (for brief periods) a wildland firefighter. He holds a bachelor's degree from Hanover College.