From Nairobi to Saint-Louis: PhD Student Carmella Uwineza Rethinks Who Shapes Africa’s Energy Future

PhD student Carmella Uwineza spent nearly a year doing fieldwork in Nairobi, Kenya, and in Dakar and Saint-Louis, Senegal, supported by Brown’s Climate Social Science Network, a Sloan grant, and CSSH fellowships. Her dissertation examines how Africa’s national and local energy transition priorities clash with the goals of international climate finance. Now a Humanities Center Global Fellow, Carmella advises future fieldworkers to stay flexible, curious, and present. READ MORE

Communicating for a Better World: Northeastern Brings Research and New Voices to the Global Stage

Twelve Northeastern students, faculty, and alumni contributed to the inaugural Communicating for a Better World conference in New York City, presenting research on environmental governance, youth leadership, UN reform, child protection, and public health. Policy School Director Maria Ivanova presented research on Rwanda’s plastics policy and emceed a full day of high-level plenary panels at Columbia University, and the group also toured UN Headquarters while Ivanova visited Northeastern’s newest campus in New York City to meet with Dean Peter Naccarato. READ MORE

Beyond Talk: Northeastern Celebrates Sustainable Solutions in Action

“Walk the Talk: Northeastern Sustainability in Action,” hosted by Maria Ivanova and Senior Advisor for Sustainability Davis Bookhart, celebrated Northeastern’s role in advancing sustainable solutions with a campus sustainability tour, research presentations from faculty and graduates, a keynote by Massachusetts State Senator Becca Rausch ‘04 (JD), and a lightning talk by Prof. Sharmila L. Murthy.

Policy School Community Welcomes Its Newest Member

Congratulations to Prof. Serena Alexander and her husband Andre Ashour, whose baby boy was born on October 17. Welcome, Samuel!

Networks Over Nations: Early-Career Scholars Rethink Global Order

The Center for International Affairs and World Cultures hosted an early-career workshop, facilitated by Center director Mai'a Cross, as part of "Transnational Political Networks and the Future of Global Order," a multi-year research project supported by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation. The workshop brought together early-career scholars to examine how transnational political networks and the transformational ideas they champion shape international cooperation on issues such as climate change, nuclear weapons, outer space, and artificial intelligence, even amid polarization and great power competition.

Dissertations in Dialogue: PhD Students Share How They Innovate Together

The PIH hosted a panel on “Innovating Together through the Dissertation” as part of its new seminar series, coordinated with PhD program director Laura Kuhl and moderated by PhD alumna Alaina Kinol. Current PhD students Carmella Uwineza, Josh Rosen, Istiakh Ahmed, and Kishan Narayan shared insights on their research, the partnerships they have built, their methodological approaches, and the challenges and lessons they have encountered along the way.

Exposing Environmental Racism: Prof. Kaitlyn Alvarez Noli Earns Early Career Prize

Prof. Kaitlyn Alvarez Noli has been awarded the Environmental Sociology Early Career Prize 2026 for her new article, “Epistemic maneuvers as mechanisms of environmental racism: how pesticide exposure is sustained against Mexican farmworkers.” The prize is awarded every two years by the journal’s Editorial Board and International Advisory Board in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of environmental sociology. READ THE ARTICLE

Thinking Big About Getting Smaller: PIH Takes Policy Innovation to Latvia

Prof. Dan O’Brien, who directs the Boston Area Research Initiative and co-directs the Policy Innovation Hub (PIH), traveled to Latvia to co-host an ACIE-sponsored symposium on policy innovation with Kaspars Kravinskis of Latvia’s State Chancellery, whose June fellowship at PIH sparked their ongoing conversation about pursuing policy innovation across cultural contexts. Nearly 50 local government officials, academics, and NGO representatives explored these ideas and applied them to Latvia’s rapid population decline, particularly in rural areas, through the lens of “smart shrinking.”

From Revenue Strategy to Next-Gen Leadership: the Policy School at NASPAA 2026

At the 2026 NASPAA Global Conference in Seattle, Policy School Director Maria Ivanova spoke on the panel “Sustaining Public Affairs Education: Strategic Revenue Diversification and Advancement for NASPAA Programs.” Prof. Cristina Stanica, presented with her cohort on “Trailblazers & Trendsetters: Learning from NASPAA Next.”

Lessons from Bangladesh: Prof. Laura Kuhl on Locally-Led Climate Adaptation

Prof. Laura Kuhl has co-authored four policy briefs, recently published by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), drawing on collaborative research conducted in Bangladesh:

• Mainstreaming Locally-Led Adaptation into Municipal Planning
• Climate Information, Water Management and Local Adaptation Decision-Making
• Institutionalizing Climate Risk into Infrastructure Decision-Making
• Financing Adaptation: A Holistic Approach to Mobilizing Adaptation Finance

Prof. Nishith Prakash Helps Shape the Future of Development Economics

Prof. Nishith Prakash was among 42 faculty members from every college celebrated at a reception hosted by the university’s Office of the Provost. He was recognized for his election to the inaugural Board of Directors of the International Development Economics Association (IDEA), where he will help shape the direction of a new international community dedicated to development economics.

Policy School at the MIT Museum

Profs. Brian Helmuth and Maria Ivanova joined ocean scientists, explorers, and policy experts, including Fabien Cousteau, Melody Brown Burkins, Peter Girguis, and Marcia Moreno Baez, at the MIT Museum for Diplomacy Below the Surface. The Science Diplomacy Grid’s Andrea Capurro moderated the discussion, which explored how science and diplomacy can protect the ocean commons and stressed the need to turn the newly in-force High Seas Treaty’s commitments into meaningful action to protect our oceans.

Coffee & Conversation: Alum Shares Path to Federal Service

Northeastern Association for Public Policy Students (NAPPS) hosted Northeastern alum Jim Anderson, Associate Director of the Office of Budget & Administration for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, for a Coffee & Conversation event. Anderson shared his career trajectory and offered students advice on pursuing a career in federal service.

Lost in Translation: PhD Student’s Research Points to Better Hospital Discharge Communication

PhD student Stephane Labossiere published a new paper in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, “A Discrete Choice Experiment to Understand Hospital Discharge Preferences of Populations with Non-English Language Preference. The findings suggest that health systems should use multiple communication methods and language-concordant strategies to help patients understand their care and to address health disparities. READ THE ARTICLE

Data with Heart: Olinda Bandeira Honored for Co-op Work

MS in Urban Informatics student Olinda Bandeira '26 won the master’s award at the 10th annual CSSH Co-op Expo for her poster, “Connecting Data, Programs, and Communities.” She currently serves as a Co-op Programs Assistant at the Refugee Dream Center, where she supports immigrant and refugee communities through public health outreach, community engagement, and systems navigation.

When Floods Close Classrooms: New Research on Climate-Induced Educational Disruption

First-year PhD student Savio Rousseau Rozario co-authored a new Journal of Asian Geography article "Climate-induced educational disruption: Evidence on multidimensional assessment from the Haor Region of North-Eastern Bangladesh," with researchers from the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) on how flash floods disrupt education in Bangladesh’s Haor region. READ THE ARTICLE

A Seat at the Global Table: Olga Skaredina Elected to UNEP Regional Role

PhD student Olga Skaredina was elected North America Regional Co-Facilitator for the UNEP Major Groups and Stakeholders for a two-year term. In this role, Olga will facilitate regional engagement among North American UNEP-accredited organizations and coordinate regional consultative meetings leading up to the United Nations Environment Assembly.

Istiakh Ahmed Receives Russell Sage Dissertation Grant for Research on Equitable Disaster Recovery

PhD candidate Istiakh Ahmed has received a Russell Sage Foundation dissertation grant for “Unequal Loss: Social Inequality, Lived Experience, and the Politics of Climate Damage in Urban America," a study of how social inequality shapes residents’ experiences of climate-related loss in Asheville, North Carolina. His research examines how those experiences are reflected in public policy and recovery efforts, with the aim of informing more equitable disaster recovery.

MUPP Students Build Connections at Peer Networking Event

MUPP students gathered with program director Prof. Gavin Shatkin and graduate program administrator Ruth Thermidor for the latest session of the Peer Networking Series, an initiative launched by Michele Rosenthal, Associate Director of Graduate Academic Affairs. The series gives Policy School students opportunities to connect with peers in their program and discuss their academic and professional interests.

APPAM Policy on the Rocks: Together We Can: The Many Flavors of Policy-Relevant Scholarship

Wednesday, November 4th | 5:00-7:00 PM ET | Northeastern East Village, 17th floor

Kristopher Carter of MassDOT and John Smith of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative join Policy School Prof. Kimberly D. Lucas for a conversation that explores what makes scholarship genuinely useful to policymakers and communities

REGISTER HERE

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Policy School 20th Anniversary Celebration

Thursday, November 5th | 5:00-7:00 PM ET | Northeastern East Village, 17th floor

Join the Policy School community as we honor 20 years of positive impact and look ahead to The Future We Design.

REGISTER HERE

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What Happened, What's Next? A Panel Discussion

Thursday, November 12, 6pm PT, GSB 101 (Oakland)

Oakland faculty members Sharon Cornu and Adam Parker will be joined by polling expert Ruth Bernstein and MPP alumna Dyana Delfín Polk to dissect the results of the 2026 election, focusing on California ballot initiatives and races featuring Northeastern and Mills alums.

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GIS Day Boston 2026

Wednesday, November 18th | 10:00 AM-2:30 PM ET | Snell Library, Room 160

Anyone who has taken a GIS course, used GIS outside of class, or is curious about its policy applications is invited to connect with GIS professionals and peers from Northeastern and partner institutions. Students can also enter the StoryMap Competition. For more information, contact Prof. Fang at f.fang@northeastern.edu

REGISTER HERE

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PIH Seminar Series: Dukakis Center & Community Partner Fireside Chat

Thursday, November 19th | 12:00-1:00 PM ET | Renaissance Park, Room 310 and Teams

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PIH Seminar Series: Policy School Student Spotlight

Thursday, December 3rd | 12:00-1:00 PM ET | Renaissance Park, Room 310 and Teams

Making a Difference from the Local to the Global