Senior Fellows Program

The Watson Institute Senior Fellows program is designed to bring leading policymakers and public intellectuals from around the world to Brown University to offer fresh thinking on contemporary global issues. Senior fellows receive a one-year appointment at Brown University through the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. Fellows are encouraged to lead student study groups each semester, and throughout the year to attend student/faculty discussions, visit courses, host public events, and mentor undergraduate and graduate students through office hours. Recent fellows include Menaka Guruswamy, senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, writer ZZ Packer, and Jim Yong Kim, former president of the World Bank.

About Study Groups

Senior Fellow study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into policy and international affairs topics and apply theory and research to real world challenges.

They are open to undergraduates and graduate students from all concentrations. The study groups are designed be accessible to students across different fields and to avoid infringing on students’ coursework. Fellows often invite guest speakers to address specific topics. Background reading is usually assigned for each session but is kept to a minimum. Group size is kept small to promote student participation and conversation, and participating students are expected to attend all five meetings.

Current Study Groups

National Security, Innovation, and the Congress
Led by: Arun Seraphin
This study group will explore the role that Congress and policy making can play in creating an environment to support innovation in our national security science and technology enterprise.

How We Work – Now and In the Future – an Exploration of Workplace Culture, Practices, Policies, and the Future of Work
Led by: Suzi LeVine
This study group will explore workplace culture and DEAI, dig into modern apprenticeship, discuss ideas to address challenges in the current social safety net, learn about the practical role of labor, and the potential impact of AI, robotics and machine learning on humans in the workplace.

Cyber Threat Landscape and Protecting the United States Against Cyberattacks of Significant Consequence
Led by: Jim Langevin
This study group will explore the shared responsibility between the federal government and the private sector in securing our nation and its critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.

Humanitarian Considerations in Immigration Systems: Status Quo and Imagined Future
Led by: Leon Rodriguez
This study group will work together to imagine a viable future immigration system that prioritizes universal principles of humanitarianism and equity and plan an effective advocacy strategy to turn those ideas into policy.

Study Group Leaders