( CNN ) -- An American graduate student who went to Iraq to find ways to help ordinary citizens persevere in a transitioning government was one of two American civilians killed in a Sadr City bombing . Nicole Suveges , a political scientist working toward her doctorate , died in a Sadr City bombing Tuesday . Nicole Suveges , a married political scientist from Illinois , was part of a program that embeds academics into military units to help personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan navigate the local environment , according to her employer , BAE Systems . Suveges , who started her tour with Human Terrain System in April , had been assigned to support the 3rd Brigade Combat Team for the 4th Infantry Division in `` political , cultural , and tribal engagements , '' a statement from the program said . She was one of four Americans to die in the Sadr City bombing Tuesday . Two U.S. soldiers and a State Department employee , Steven Farley , who worked with the provincial reconstruction team , also were killed in the blast . `` Nicole was a leading academic who studied for years on how to improve conditions for others , '' Doug Belair , president of BAE 's Technology Solutions & Services , said in a written statement . `` She came to us to give freely of herself in an effort to make a better world . '' Suveges was the second BAE employee to die in a combat zone this year . Michael V. Bhatia , 31 , a social scientist from Medway , Massachusetts , died in a roadside bombing May 7 in Afghanistan , BAE said . Scott Fazekas , BAE 's director of communications , said Suveges and Bhatia were among three dozen social scientists hired by the company and its subcontractors to support the program . The Johns Hopkins University graduate student was also working toward a doctorate in political science with an emphasis on international relations . The focus of her dissertation was on the transition from an authoritarian regime to democracy and how it affects ordinary citizens , the university said . `` Nicole was committed to using her learning and experience to make the world a better place , especially for people who have suffered through war and conflict , '' William R. Brody , president of the university , said in a message Wednesday to the campus community . `` She exemplifies all that we seek to do at Johns Hopkins : to use knowledge for the good of humanity . '' Mark Blyth , Suveges ' primary faculty adviser , said that when Suveges came to Johns Hopkins , she planned to write her Ph.D. dissertation on how ideas move across borders from society to society , exploring how radical Islamic ideas filtered through Western European mosques . After the outbreak of the Iraq war , Suveges decided to shift her focus to the experience of ordinary citizens under a transitional government , said Blyth , a topic that had interested Suveges since her experience in Bosnia with the SFOR/NATO Combined Joint Psychological Operations Task Force . `` She was a very bright , engaging , sweet person , very intellectually curious , '' Blyth said Wednesday . BAE said Suveges ' experience , which included a tour in Iraq as a civilian contractor and a stint in Bosnia in the 1990s as an Army reservist , made her especially valuable in efforts to improve the lives of Iraqis . A Human Terrain System statement said Suveges and others were attending a meeting of the District Advisory Council on Tuesday to elect a new chairman . The officials were helping mediate disputes among the Sadr City leadership and `` facilitate the development of a more representative local government , '' the statement said . The attack was blamed on a Shiite insurgent cell . Suveges graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992 and received a master 's degree in political science from George Washington University in 1998 . She had delivered papers to international relations organizations and served as a graduate teaching assistant , the company said . At Johns Hopkins , she was managing editor for the Review of International Political Economy , the university said . Maj. Mike Kenfield , spokesman for the Army 's training and doctrine command , said that the program was credited for `` reductions in non-lethal operations '' and that there had been talk about expanding the purview of the team to outside Iraq and Afghanistan . CNN 's Joe Sterling contributed to this report .
Nicole Suveges , 38 , was part of team of academic embeds advising military in Iraq . The political scientist and Johns Hopkins grad student died in Sadr City bombing . Suveges is second Human Terrain System employee to die in combat zone this year . She was also finishing dissertation on citizens in transitioning governments .