Areas of Research
International Security Program (ISP)
Program Director: Steven E. Miller • Faculty Chair: Stephen M. Walt
U.S. defense and foreign policy; Russian security policy; nuclear proliferation; managing nuclear technology and materials; the political economy of the Russian nuclear complex; chemical and biological weapons proliferation, control, and countermeasures; terrorism; regional security, especially the Russian periphery, Asia, and the Middle East; internal and ethnic conflict; transatlantic relations; democracy and democratization as a factor in international politics. Belfer Center also co-sponsors, with the Shorenstein Center for Press and Politics, a fellowship for journalists specializing in defense and foreign affairs.
Science, Technology, and Public Policy (STPP) Program
Program Director and Faculty Chair: John Holdren
National and comparative science and technology policies and policy formation mechanisms; science and technology policy for competitiveness, sustainability, and security; social determinants of, and social impacts of, scientific and technological change. Fellowships are available within the following STPP projects:
- Managing the Atom Project
Executive Director: Martin Malin
Addressing the risks posed by nuclear weapons and weapons-usable materials; assessing the future of civilian nuclear power; and strengthening democratic management of both through improved access to information, broader public participation, and more effective regulation and oversight. Managing the Atom is a joint project of the Belfer Center's International Security Program (see above), though it offers a though it offers a separate set of fellowships. - Science, Technology and Globalization
Director: Calestous Juma
Role of science, technology and innovation in developing countries with particular emphasis on: technological innovation and globalization; comparative science and technology policy; national and international science and technology advice; and the role of universities in economic development. Thematic areas include biotechnology (agricultural, pharmaceutical and industrial), information and communications technologies and global biodiversity conservation. fellowships. - Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group
Director: Kelly Sims Gallagher
Patterns and processes of energy research, development, demonstration and deployment in the United States and around the world, policies and institutions for closing the gap between national and international energy R&D strategies and those needed to meet the challenge of climate change; analysis of effectiveness of collaborative and partnership approaches for meeting U.S. energy-related environmental goals.
Program on Intrastate Conflict and Conflict Resolution
Program Director: Robert I. Rotberg
All aspects of conflict within states; ethnic/religious/linguistic conflict; peacekeeping and peace building; conflict prevention in general; conflict resolution, especially in divided states; all aspects of state failure and the prevention of state failure; leadership and good governance. The Program has current and continuing particular concerns with Burma, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Sri Lanka, the Sudan, Zimbabwe, and other vulnerable states.
Dubai Initiative
Executive Director: Juhi Ginger Dagli • Faculty Chair: Graham Allison
The Dubai Initiative focuses on the research related to Middle East to complement the interests of the Belfer Center and those of the Dubai School of Government (DSG) and offers fellowships at the Belfer Center as well as joint fellowships with DSG. The areas of research currently considered are those on the evolving issues of governance; U.S. foreign policy; security studies; economic policy; energy policy; innovations in governance; e-government; government performance; and women studies on the Middle East. Scholars from the region are also welcome to apply. Fellows are expected to devote a portion of their time on collaborative research, as arranged by the Initiative with DSG. Fellowships will be awarded based on specific research deliverables negotiated with the Dubai School of Government researchers and may involve spending some part of their fellowship in Dubai. Research Fellows looking to write a book or in the process of completing a book can receive funding to complete it. The Initiative also funds research papers and research grants on research related to the Middle East.
