Research at Elliott: Centers, Institutes & Initiatives

Highlights from Elliott Institutes

The Elliott School’s 10 research institutes serve as hubs for faculty and visiting scholars working across academic disciplines to address complex global challenges. This includes disseminating research findings and contributing to the public debate in order to advance understanding of and foster solutions in support of the school’s mission.

The Association of American Universities (AAU), composed of America’s leading research universities, invited George Washington University to join its ranks in June 2023. AAU’s 71 members represent a best-in-class group of universities transforming lives through education, research, and innovation. 

Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES)

Positioned to Navigate Challenges and Evolve in an Ever-Changing Environment 

Marlene Laruelle - Director of the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies

1. Diverse Research Programs: IERES features seven research programs, including Ukraine and Russia studies.
2. Ukrainathon: A groundbreaking 24-hour lecture marathon with more than 90 speakers hosted by IERES, the Program on New Approaches to Research and Security (PONARS) and the Petrach Program on Ukraine.
3. Innovative Crisis Response: Launched the Russia Program to better understand and engage with Russia.In addition, formed the Russian Global Academy to support Russian scholars in exile and foster academic freedom.
4. Packed Event Calendar: Hosted a record 138 events in 2022-2023.
5. Notable: The Illiberalism Studies Program hosted 12 events and published several short- and long-form papers, including four issues of the Journal of Illiberalism Studies.
6. Visiting Scholars: IERES welcomed 39 visiting scholars, enriching research activities.
7. Distinguished Director: IERES Director Marlene Laruelle received the 2023 GW Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) Career Award for her contributions.

Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES)

Viewing the Middle East through a wide lens, IMES faculty engage in groundbreaking research that helps inform and shape policy 

Attiya Ahmad - Interim Director, Institute for Middle East Studies

1. Receives “National Resource Center” Designation: IMES received the designation of “National Resource Center” from the U.S. Department of Education, in a mark of the high quality and breadth of scholarship on the Middle East at GW. The four-year, $1.15 million grant provides tuition benefits and living stipends for GW students pursuing study of the Middle East and regional foreign languages.
2. Student Fellowships: Awarded over $4 million to support student fellowships at GW since receiving its first FLAS award in 2010.
3. Expanding Middle East Education: IMES has expanded its development of resources for teaching on the Middle East at the K-12 level.
4. Multimedia Partnership: In a public outreach partnership with the Middle East Research and Information Project, IMES produces multimedia pages designed to explain the Middle East for a more general readership.
5. Arabic Language Opportunities: Designed and hosted 28 events and reached hundreds of Arabic learners in the US and abroad through its DC Arabic Teachers Council/DC-ATC.
6. Visiting Scholars and Research Funding: Hosted three visiting scholars and awarded funds for faculty and PhD student research.
7. IMES Partners to Expand DEI: IMES partners with Howard University and Northern Virginia Community College faculty to actively support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability.

Institute for International Economic Policy (IIEP)

IIEP serves as a catalyst for high-quality, multi-disciplinary research on policy issues surrounding the global economy 

Remi Jedwab - Director of the Institute for International Economic Policy 

1. University-Wide Representation: Sixty faculty affiliates spread across departments and schools.
2. Sustainable Cities Series: IIEP hosted 85 events in 2022-2023, including a new workshop series on Sustainable Cities.
3. Key Partnerships Expand: Grew partnerships with Citi, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report Office (UNDP HDRO), and the World Bank.
4. Cross-disciplinary Events: IIEP hosted 85 events from five research areas and 35 economic seminars.
5. Publications: Affiliated faculty have produced 70 articles, four books, six book chapters, and 24 working papers. Faculty were featured in 11 podcasts, wrote 26 op-eds, and received 30 grants to fund research.
6. Leadership Transitions: Outgoing director Jay Shambaugh accepted a presidential appointment to serve as Undersecretary of the U.S. Treasury Department.
7. Yunus Initiative Established: IIEP established a Yunus Initiative on Extreme Deprivation, one of the first in the U.S. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus will offer an in-person lecture in the upcoming semesters at the Elliott School. IIEP-Yunus Initiative events, in partnership with Muhammad Yunus's Yunus Centre in Bangladesh, will focus on extreme deprivation, social entrepreneurship, micro-finance, and mobile money.

The Institute for African Studies (IAfS)

Facilitating constructive dialogue on contemporary African issues, promoting diverse perspectives, and informing US-Africa policy discussions 

Jennifer Cooke - Director, Institute for African Studies

1. Events: The Institute for African Studies hosted African journalists, scholars, business leaders, practitioners, government officials, and youth activists, as well as U.S. scholars and policymakers.
2. Student Research: IAfS supported two Global Capstone teams this year: the first traveled to northern Ghana to pilot a survey tool to measure water and sanitation resilience; the second traveled to Senegal, where students assessed protocols governing intra-regional migration within the volatile West African region. 
3. IAfS Launches New Endowment: The Bridges Institute Vivian Lowry Derryck Annual Lecture Series, established through a new endowment, will bring a prominent African leader to the Elliott School for an annual keynote address. The endowment also positions the Elliott School as the convener of the Africa Policy Group, a coalition of senior former diplomats, civil society leaders, and business leaders.  
4. Convening Power: The institute organized three major events that brought together senior U.S. and African government officials during the Africa Leaders Summit, giving a platform to African perspectives on the strengths and gaps within the U.S.-Africa partnership.
5. IAfS Hosts Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence: Mathieu Adjagbe is chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Parakou in northern Benin. His research focuses on U.S. policy toward Africa.

The GW Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS)

Empowering Korean Studies with Unparalleled Faculty Strength and Research Excellence 

Jisoo M. Kim - Director of the Institute for Korean Studies

1. VIP Speakers: GWIKS proudly hosted former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Nakyon Lee, as a Visiting Scholar during the 2022-2023 academic year.
2. Undergraduate Research Opportunities: Ten students from GW and Spelman College took part in the institute’s Undergraduate Research Fellows Program, which included mentoring, research workshops, and a research conference at Indiana University.
3. Summer Study Abroad Program: Ten students had the opportunity to visit historical locations, cultural sites, and institutions throughout South Korea. The program used the border as a lens to explore Korean identities, culture, division, and reunification, tracing the transnational processes that have shaped Korean identity and culture.
4. Grant Award: The Academy of Korean Studies awarded GWIKS a five-year renewal grant, paving the way for continued strengthening of Korean Studies in Washington, D.C.
5. Hahn Moo Sook Colloquium: The GW Textile Museum co-hosted the 30th annual colloquium on the topic of "Korean Fashion: From Royal Court to Runway.”
6. Debut of "K-Culture Night": A discussion on how African-American music has influenced both Korean hip-hop and K-pop came after a screening of a documentary on Korean hip-hop.
7. Student Support: GWIKS provided two full-tuition scholarships for Elliott School M.A. students, as well as several research stipends for students.

Institute for International Science and Technology Policy (IISTP)

Bridging the gap between international affairs and STEM through publications, events, and research 

Scott Pace - Director, Institute for International Science and Technology Policy

1. Honoring the 50th IISTP Graduating Class: An honorary event, ‘The International Science and Technology Policy Program: Celebrating 50 Years,’ was hosted, featuring distinguished alumni and experts reflecting on the past, present, and future.
2. Four MA Students Participate in Bromley Memorial: An annual event honoring D. Allan Bromley offers Elliott School and University of Ottawa graduate students the opportunity to exchange ideas with senior science and technology policy advisors through seminars, excursions, and a keynote lecture that alternates between Ottawa and Washington, D.C.
3. Visiting Scholars: Four new visiting scholars from Japan, Finland, Korea, and Turkey joined IISTP.
4. Grants: The institute boasts nine active grants and four pending proposals from prestigious agencies, including the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the MacArthur Foundation.
5. Research: IISTP partnered with EURAXESS, North America. A European Union initiative, the EURAXESS platform provides information about job opportunities and funding programs for researchers culminating in a major event collaboration for European Research Day.

Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC)

A forum for research and collaboration on global issues around a shifting global communication landscape, especially challenges to public diplomacy and strategic communication 

William Youmans - Director, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

1. IPDGC Welcomes International Scholars: The new Visiting Scholars Program attracted five respected scholars from universities in Vietnam, South Korea, Germany, the Basque Country in Spain, and the United Kingdom.
2. Expands Collaborations: IPDGC partnered with the Public Diplomacy Association of America to host the First Monday Forums at the Elliott School.
3. Exceptional Event: IPDGC and the Elliott School’s Gender Equality in International Affairs program hosted an event recognizing the U.S. Department of State’s 2023 International Women of Courage Award recipients.
4. U.S. State Department Public Diplomacy Fellow: The State Department public diplomacy fellow actively engaged with students, sharing information about State Department opportunities, organizing screenings of his documentary, and collaborating with the Elliott School’s Leadership, Ethics and Practice Initiative.

The Institute for Security and Conflict Studies (ISCS)

A Scholarly Community Dedicated to Security Research and Policy 

Alexander B. Downes - Co-Director, Charlie Glaser Director, Institute for Security and Conflict Studies

1. Publications: The institute’s core faculty and fellows published six books and 35 scholarly journal articles and book chapters.
2. Accolades: Institute affiliate Janet Lewis was named the winner of the Early Career Research Award from GW’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research. Pre-doctoral student  Eun A. Jo won six awards this year, including a coveted award from the American Political Science Association.
3. Outreach and Cooperation: The institute hosted two predoctoral fellows, six visiting scholars, and four GW Ph.D. students while conducting 26 workshops and co-hosting a conference on security cooperation with the Defense Security Cooperation University.
4. Conferences: ISCS co-hosted a conference on security cooperation with the Defense Security Cooperation University. Assistant Secretary of Defense Mara Karlin delivered the keynote address, with remarks and insights from Dafna Rand (director of foreign assistance at the State Department) and James Hursch (director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency).

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies

Advancing Scholarship, Fostering Community and Enhancing Research on Asia 

Gregg Brazinsky - Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies

1. Conferences: The Sigur Center for Asian Studies hosted a conference on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th Party Congress and featured leading China experts. Sigur continued its longstanding and successful Taiwan Roundtables and Taiwan Conference Series.

2. Title VI- Supported Center of Excellence: Sigur received “East Asia National Resource Center” designation for the second time. The designation from the U.S. Department of Education is a mark of the high quality and breadth of scholarship and enhances the center’s ability to engage the public community on regional and global issues of importance.

3. Philanthropic Support: The center received two significant gifts to support Uyghur studies and a gift to create a special fellowship for studying in mainland China.

4. Language Study: The Sigur Center has awarded over $3.44 million to 550 GW students and faculty for field research and language study in over 20 Asian countries since 2000.

5. Visiting Scholars: The center resumed its Visiting Scholar Program with Taiwan and hosted 11 visiting scholars and 13 non-resident scholars with research interests spanning the gamut of Asian Studies.

6. Public Events: Fifty-four events featured scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and government officials speaking at the Elliott School. Sigur Center-sponsored events are archived here.

Space Policy Institute (SPI)

A Pioneer in the Space Policy Field, we cultivate meaningful policy conversations, drive innovative research, facilitate outreach efforts, and provide a platform for visiting scholars 

Scott Pace - Director, Space Policy Institute

1.  Events: Hosted a strong series of public events and speaker dinners, featuring key space policymakers from around the globe, including European Space Agency Director Josef Aschbacher and General Jay Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force.

2. Fellowships: The institute provided space-focused students with substantial fellowships to support their education through institute outreach to organizations such as the GPS Innovation Alliance, Axiom Space, and Amazon Web Services.

3. Student Success: 100 percent of space-focused graduate students found employment after graduating, and the total number of enrolled students with interest in space policy remains historically high.

4. New Faculty: SPI faculty had a successful year with the addition of Dr. Aaron Bateman, an expert in space and military/intelligence policy.

5. Honors: Institute Director Scott Pace received the 2023 American Astronautical Society John F. Kennedy Astronautics Award, and Research Professor Pascale Ehrenfreund received the COSPAR Harrie Massey Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of space research.

6. Space Court: Professor Henry Hertzfeld led his student team to second place after arguing in front of International Court Judges in the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition World Finals in Paris. 

Susan Aaronson—research professor and director of the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub and co-principal investigator of the National Science Foundation-funded Trustworthy AI Institute for Law and Society—is an expert on the value and potential threats of data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the increasing need for participatory governance of data in the era of AI.

“There is no trust without participation and no accountability without participation—hence we believe in a participatory approach to AI at all levels from design to deployment,” says Aaronson.

“There is no trust without participation and no accountability without participation—hence we believe in a participatory approach to AI at all levels from design to deployment,” says Aaronson.

In “How to Regulate AI? Start With the Data,” Aaronson contends that, “we live in an era of data dichotomy. On one hand, AI developers rely on large data sets to ‘train’ their systems about the world and respond to user questions. These data troves have become increasingly valuable and visible. On the other hand, despite the import of data, U.S. policy makers don’t view data governance as a vehicle to regulate AI.”  

In the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, she argues that trade policymakers must pay closer attention to users’ concerns if they truly want to achieve “data- free flow with trust,” and that how policymakers respond to user concerns is as important as what they include in trade agreements. Finally, she notes that trade negotiators mustwill need to rethink how they involve the general public in digital trade policymaking while recognizing that trade policy agreements may not be the best place to address these problems.

"the world is drowning in data, yet much of that data remains hidden and underutilized.”

In "Wicked Problems Might Inspire Greater Data Sharing," published on IDEAS, Aaronson argues that data should be considered a shareable, public good. She writes, that "the world is drowning in data, yet much of that data remains hidden and underutilized.” As a result, the benefits of having such data do not meet its public good purposes. Aaron suggests that forming a new agency to act as a counterweight in the interest of the public good to create a demand and market for data sharing.  

In “Building Trust in Digital Trade will Require a Rethink of Trade Policymaking," published on CIGI, she argues that to achieve a "data free flow with trust," policymakers must first address users' regulatory concerns. She begins by examining the difficulties in building and enforcing digital trade agreements, as well as their three main challenges: internet shutdowns/censorship, disinformation, and ransomware.

The Elliott School’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), through PONARS Eurasia and the Petrach Program on Ukraine, hosted its second 24-hour virtual event to raise money for Ukraine  in February 2023 to spotlight Ukrainian resilience through scholarship, art and activism. As with the first Ukrainathon launched in February 2022, this year’s virtual fundraiser featured expert presentations from more than 90 scholars around the world, for 15 minutes each over a full 24 hours.

In direct response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Elliott School’s IERES launched The Russia Program in March 2023, a new research program designed to rethink how we study, talk about and engage with Russia.

"We are the first Russia-related research digital platform that incorporates, develops, and synergizes different initiatives,” Ivan Grek, deputy director of GW’s Russia Program, says. “It enables us to involve scholars of different backgrounds and research approaches and allows us to transcend the new Iron Curtain with digital networking.