Curtis is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science. He received his B.A. in International Relations from United States International University, and his M.A. in International Human Rights from the University of Denver. His areas of focus are Comparative Politics, Environmental Politics, and Political Theory. Curtis has spent time researching with and accompanying various social movements in Mexico and Colombia, as well as in the United States. His research interests are focused on grassroots and bottom-up politics, especially related to territorial politics, socio-environmental conflicts, the building of local autonomy, and critical constitutionalism.