Maddy will study international relations with a focus on genocide studies. She is interested in the political economy of genocide and how economic systems function during and post genocides. Maddy has a B.A. in international studies and an M.A. in history, both from UNC – Charlotte.

Maddy is from Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to starting the Ph.D. program at Syracuse University, Maddy completed two years of national service with AmeriCorps in the nonprofit sector. Maddy was the 2022 winner of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce Rising Star Award, which recognizes emerging leaders in the community under 35 years old. She has worked on community-level initiatives to reduce hunger and poverty, in addition to refugee resettlement work.

Her current research interests include genocide, political economy, human rights, Marxist theory and peacebuilding.