Think Green, Act Local: Students Pitch Sustainability Solutions

Policy School Director Maria Ivanova (who served as a judge) and Prof. Moira Zellner were among the attendees who came out to support Northeastern's Sustainability Innovation Student Competition. The event was part of Sustainability Innovation Week, a university-wide initiative that positions Northeastern as a living lab, where students, researchers, and community partners test new ideas, pilot innovative technologies, and address pressing sustainability challenges together.

Beyond the Bottom Line: Redefining Leadership for a Sustainable Future

The Policy School hosted a panel focused on Leadership in Sustainability, as part of The Future We Design Seminar Series. Speakers — Northeastern President Emeritus Richard Freeland, equity research analyst Olivia Luciani, Drizzl founder Khushi Shah, Senior Advisor for Sustainability Davis Bookhart, and Prof. Ted Landsmark — explored how campuses, companies, and cities are all navigating ambitious transitions toward sustainable operations and governance

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Public Service Reimagined: Law and Policy Fellows Enrich Policy School Community

The Policy School welcomed the inaugural cohort of Northeastern Law and Policy Fellows to the Boston campus for a two-day convening.The program is designed for leaders with recent federal government service experience who are navigating a career transition. Collectively, the Fellows represent decades of public service experience and a shared commitment to building a more just society.

From Setback to Systemic Change: Bringing Movement-Building to the Classroom

MPA/MPP students on Northeastern's Oakland campus discussed policy leadership and movement building with Clarissa Doutherd, Executive Director of Parent Voices Oakland and a driving force behind Measure C, the Alameda County Early Childhood Education initiative now expanding and improving preschool services across the county. Profs. Adam Parker and Sharon Cornu invited Doutherd into the classroom to join students for a screening of the 2022 documentary Clarissa's Battle, which traces Doutherd's advocacy journey.

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Small Investments, Big Impact: Prof. Modestino Lands Grant to Expand Roth IRA Access

Prof. Alicia Modestino has been awarded a grant from J-PAL North America for her project, "Getting Going on Savings: Evaluation of a Roth IRA Program for Low-Income Young Adults." The project will receive $237,642.89 in funding and $53,209.10 in RMS support from the Social Policy Research Initiative Review Board, a testament to the importance of building financial security for young adults who need it most. 

Curiosity on Wheels: Prof. Prakash Shows How Mobile Science Education Transforms Rural Students

Prof. Nishith Prakash presented his paper “Science on the Move: How Experiential Pedagogy Shapes Human Capital” at the Center for Global Development and at Georgetown University. The paper reports results from a cluster-randomized controlled trial in rural Uttar Pradesh evaluating experiential science pedagogy delivered through Mobile Science Labs and a lower-intensity Lab-on-Bike model. It shows that the higher-intensity Mobile Science Lab improved students’ curiosity, self-confidence, aspirations, engagement, and academic performance.

Rules, Relationships, and Resilience: Prof. Kowalcky Gets Real about Navigating Policy Careers

Prof. Linda Kowalcky joined Policy School students for a Coffee and Conversation session at which she shared her experiences working at all levels, from Capitol Hill to Boston’s City Hall and community meetings in Roxbury. Prof. Kowalcky offered students a breakdown of how policy pathways are paved through a mix of formal rules and informal persistence.

Serving Up Expertise: Prof. Hoff Joins Community Servings Board of Advisors

Prof. Timothy Hoff has been appointed to Community Servings Board of Advisors. Community Servings is the largest provider of medically tailored meals to individuals in the U.S.

Beyond the Algorithm: Prof. Magistro Awarded Grant to Explore Views on AI and Accountability

Prof. Beatrice Magistro has been awarded a $65,241 grant from the Russell Sage Foundation's Future of Work program for her project "Tracking Americans' Causal Beliefs about AI in the Workplace." Her research focuses on two key questions: As AI reshapes jobs and industries, how do everyday Americans understand its role. And whom do they hold responsible for the changes it brings?

Building Smarter, More Just Cities: Prof. Lucas Named Trustee and Joins Civic Education Initiative

Prof. Kimberly D. Lucas was voted as the newest Trustee for the Sociological Initiatives Foundation. They were also recently accepted to the 2026 Civic Education Community of Practice hosted by the Center on Global Democracy at Cornell University. Dr. Lucas is participating as a representative of the Smart Human Rights Cities project that they initiated alongside Prof. Martha Davis (Law School), Dan Jackson (NuLawLab), and aleja jimenez jaramillo (City of Boston). 

From Citations to Solutions: Policy School Ranks Among the Best in Urban Planning Research

According to newly published metrics on urban planning citations, Policy School faculty rank in the upper tier among programs measured by the numbers of active, full-time, tenure-track faculty planning citations. Prof. Moira Zellner led the pack with 4,349 citations followed by Prof. Gavin Shatkin with 3,254, Prof. Dan O'Brien with 2,581, Prof. Alicia Modestino with 2,145, Prof. Christopher Bosso with 2,415, Prof. Joan Fitzgerald with 2,118, and Prof. Lily Song with 470. These numbers reflect the real-world impact of Policy School scholarship, from neighborhood equity to climate resilience to workforce development and beyond. 

Houston, We Have a Governance Problem: Profs. Cross and Thresher Weigh in on the Ethics of the New Space Race

Profs. Mai'a Cross and Anncy Thresher served on a panel of experts exploring the ethical dimensions of governance, militarization, and emerging technology in space. In a "Why Space Matters and How to Govern It" podcast, they discussed how the understanding of space has shifted from a “global commons” in which no country has sovereignty. Today, with more than 90 countries and dozens of private companies operating in space, they asked if actors can still be expected to proceed for the benefit of all.

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The Policy Piece of the Plastics Puzzle: Prof. Maria Ivanova Speaks at MIT's Global Change Forum 48

Policy School Director Maria Ivanova attended the MIT Global Change Forum 48 convened by MIT's Center for Sustainability Science & Strategy (CS3).In the session on global plastic pollution, Prof. Ivanova, alongside Dominic White (MIT CS3) and Jenna Jambeck (University of Georgia), she helped illuminate the complex global dimensions of plastic pollution, a crisis that demands the kind of cross-disciplinary, policy-driven thinking she champions.

At the Helm: Prof. Stanica Steers SICA into 2030

Prof. Cristina Stanica attended the 2026 ASPA Annual Conference in Hollywood, CA as Chair of the Section on International and Comparative Administration (SICA). She facilitated the Fred W. Riggs Symposium and the Ferrel Heady Roundtable. In addition, she led the SICA Business Meeting, where the Section adopted its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, elected new board members, and presented the Fred W. Riggs Award for Lifetime Scholarly Achievement to Professor XiaoHu Wang (City University of Hong Kong). She also represented SICA at the ASPA International Assembly, delivering partner organization updates and reaffirming SICA's commitment to strengthening international and comparative public administration networks.

Beyond Borders: Esther Brimmer on the New Frontier of Great Power Competition

The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures welcomed a distinguished voice in global governance to its Leaders in Foreign Service Keynote Speaker Series. Former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs and James H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Esther D. Brimmer, delivered a thought-provoking talk entitled "Dominating the Domains: Great Power Competition in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction."The conversation, moderated by Prof. Mai'a Cross, explored the intensifying competition among great powers in global domains that fall outside national borders, one of the most pressing issues in international affairs today.

Fighting Fire with Policy: Policy School Students Tackle Wildfire Mitigation on the National Stage

At the NASPAA 2026 Wildfire Mitigation Simulation Competition, MPA students Abby Fuirst and Andrew Bradshaw, along with MPP student Mahym Alekberova, joined competitors from universities across the region. The simulation challenged students to balance competing community interests, make difficult concessions, and keep equity and community well-being at the center of every decision. Andrew Bradshaw's team took first place at the UMass Amherst virtual site.

The Long Game: PhD Student Explores Youth-Informed Metrics for Intergenerational Equity

PhD student Olga Skaredina has joined the School of International Futures (SOIF) community as part of the 2026 Fellows cohort. As a member of the Research on the Futures of Intergenerational Equity, Fairness and Justice team, Olga and her teammates are exploring a critical question: Can youth-informed indicators help measure whether global environmental policies truly account for intergenerational equity and the long-term impacts on young people and future generations? 

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Behind the Green Curtain: Researchers Expose Fossil Fuel Companies' Renewable Energy Rhetoric

PhD student Dipa Desai is the lead author, together with former Policy School Director and current Professor of Climate Justice (Maynooth University) Jennie C. Stephens, and PhD alumna Yutong Si, of newly published research on renewable energy discourses of fossil fuel companies. The paper represents a collaboration including Prof. Sheila Puffer of D’Amore McKim and Diana Bozhilova from Northeastern London. 

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In the Pipeline's Shadow: An Unflinching Look at Pipeline Politics and State Violence

Policy School PhD candidate Alaina Kinol has published one of her dissertation chapters entitled “The Actual Harm Was Worse Than What Was Being Recorded”: Accounts of State Violence and Elite Capture in Fossil Energy Infrastructure Construction in a Sacrifice Zone.” The article examines the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) — a 303-mile fracked gas pipeline through Appalachia, mandated by Congress in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 — and its devastating impact on the communities in its path. 

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Navigating Power: Alaina Kinol Defends a Dissertation That Tackles Fossil Hegemony Head-On

Congratulations to Dr. Alaina Kinol on successfully defending her dissertation! With her thesis entitled "Navigating Power and Obstruction Along the Mountain Valley Pipeline," Alaina produced a timely piece of scholarship that explores critical questions: How do community advocates and fossil fuel corporations negotiate power in the energy infrastructure regulatory process through resistance and obstruction? And how do their interactions enable or constrain the impacts of fossil hegemony in energy and climate policy?

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Making a Difference from the Local to the Global