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A Message from the Director
At the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, our doctoral students are driving groundbreaking research at the intersection of scholarship and real-world impact. They hail from diverse backgrounds, bringing distinct perspectives and lived experiences to the most pressing challenges in the policy arena. This edition of the Research Spotlight celebrates — in the students' own words — their journeys and accomplishments, illuminating the passion, purpose, and resilience that propel them to create meaningful change locally and globally.
Maria Ivanova
Director of the Policy School
| | | Climate and Environmental Governance | | | |
Tayte Adderley
Place of Origin: Freeport, The Bahamas
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Complexity and climate resilience
Tayte's research examines Caribbean urban sustainability issues using participatory methods and complex systems modeling.
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Rong Bao
Place of Origin: Beijing, China
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Multilateral environmental agreements
Rong's research examines the effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements, focusing on the relationship between countries’ implementation of international agreements and the outcome of ecological protection.
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Istiakh Ahmed
Place of Origin: Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Climate loss and damage
Istiakh's research fcocuses on climate loss and damage, social inequality, the politics of climate finance, the dynamics of global climate governance, and the challenges of bridging lived experience and global policy.
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Alaina Kinol
Place of Origin: Albany, NY
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Climate justice
Alaina's research examines the role of policy in overcoming climate obstruction and advancing climate justice at multiple levels.
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Johan Arango-Quiroga
Places of Origin: Cali and Bogotá, Colombia; Salem and Chelsea, MA
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Environmental governance
Johan's research focuses on community-led environmentalism and environmental governance, specifically how community practice translates into policy and law.
| | | Food, Water, and Land Systems | | | |
Claren Copp-LaRocque
Place of Origin: Twin Butte, Alberta, Canada
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Agricultural policy and sustainable transition
Claren's research focuses on understanding the farmer experience of transitioning to sustainable practices, not just the technical or economic dimensions, but the social and personal ones.
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David Jefferson
Place of Origin: Warner Robins, GA
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Black foodways and food justice
David's research examines Black foodways and carceral nutrition, tracing how food policy and prison labor harm Black communities while highlighting the abolitionist food justice practices that cultivate care and sovereignty.
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Lee-Gray Boze
Places of Origin: Brownsville, TX and Anchorage, AK
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Oceanic resource management
Lee-Gray's research examines stakeholder perspectives on oceanic resource governance to develop effective frameworks for managing emerging scientific uncertainty and environmental risks.
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Gerardo Gentil
Place of Origin: Barranquilla, Colombia
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Water governance
Gerardo's research focuses on how social dynamics influence water governance, particularly in transboundary and institutionally complex settings.
| | | Energy Transitions and Sustainable Futures | | | |
Maddie Craig-Scheckman
Place of Origin: Steamboat Springs, CO
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Global energy transition
Maddie's research focuses on the critical mineral supply chains necessary to support the global clean energy transition.
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Carmella Uwineza
Place of Origin: Kigali, Rwanda
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Power, governance, and finance in just energy transitions
Carmella’s research examines the tensions between national/local priorities and models of energy transitions in Africa, juxtaposed with the objectives of international climate and energy finance.
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Dipa Desai
Place of Origin: Monroe, NC
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Renewable energy growth
Dipa's research focuses on the barriers to equitable fossil fuel phaseout and opportunities for just renewable energy growth in Massachusetts.
| | | Cities, Communities, and Social Systems | | | |
Stephane Labossiere
Place of Origin: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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Public health and immigrant communities
Stephane's research focuses on migration-based inequities and how they shape population health, with particular emphasis on sustainable programs serving immigrant communities.
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Olga Skaredina
Place of Origin: Kamensk-Uralsky, Russia
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Youth agency and intergenerational equity
Olga’s research focuses on youth leadership and participation in environmental decision-making, exploring how young people construct agency, articulate intergenerational equity, and reimagine environmental governance.
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Josh Rosen
Place of Origin: Boston, MA
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Computational social science and complex urban systems
Josh's research focuses on using computational and quantitative methods to study how social systems shape—and are shaped by—public policy.
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Casey Gilbert
Place of Origin: Rushville, NY
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Social dynamics and civic engagement
Casey's research focuses on applying computational methods to understand how social systems and social dynamics impact constructive discourse and civic engagement.
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Kishan Narayan
Place of Origin: East Champaran District, Bihar, India
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Education equity
Kishan's research focuses on how information gaps, institutional design, and unequal access to strategic support shape educational choices and long-term outcomes in high-stakes settings.
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Sebastián Ramirez
Place of Origin: Monterrey, Colombia
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Gender inequalities
Sebastián’s research examines gender and educational inequalities using applied microeconomic and behavioral approaches, with a focus on how institutions, social norms, and policy design shape outcomes for marginalized populations.
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Yimeng Yang
Place of Origin: Wuhan, China
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Urbanization and infrastructure development
Yimeng’s research examines the development of operational landscapes (water, energy, and waste infrastructures) in processes of urbanization, focusing on their political economy, urban governance, and socio-ecological impacts on hinterlands in China and beyond.
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