Educating global leaders and generating research and insights for a safer, more prosperous world

Dafna Rand and Caitlin Talmadge

Scholarship meets the real world

CIS meets the moment for 75 years

Understanding the world, from the Cold War to the age of AI

Marcos Troyjo and Richard Mills Jr

Global economic leader Marcos Troyjo and veteran diplomat Richard M Mills Jr join CIS

Matthew Sharp article

Balancing global uranium enrichment needs and proliferation risks: A framework

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From China shock to China choke

From China shock to China choke

September 22, 2026

Global economic leader Marcos Troyjo and veteran diplomat Richard M Mills Jr. join CIS as distinguished fellows

Global economic leader Marcos Troyjo and veteran diplomat Richard M Mills Jr. join CIS as distinguished fellows

September 21, 2026

Understanding the world, from the Cold War to the age of AI

Understanding the world, from the Cold War to the age of AI

September 17, 2026

BRICS on the rise

BRICS on the rise

September 11, 2026

Envisioning successful development in Africa

Envisioning successful development in Africa

September 03, 2026

3 Questions: The essential role of international engagement

3 Questions: The essential role of international engagement

September 03, 2026

New SHASS/MISTI Global Classroom awards

New SHASS/MISTI Global Classroom awards

August 26, 2026

Pathways to Political Science Summer Research Program hosts fourth cohort of interns

Pathways to Political Science Summer Research Program hosts fourth cohort of interns

August 12, 2026

Kathleen Thelen receives 2026 Gladys M Kammerer Award for “Attention, Shoppers! American Retail Capitalism and the Origins of the Amazon Economy”

Kathleen Thelen receives 2026 Gladys M Kammerer Award

August 06, 2026

The ambiguity spiral in Iran

The ambiguity spiral in Iran

The Next Quarter Century: What Kind of New World Order?

The Next Quarter Century: What Kind of New World Order?

Exploring the defining challenges of our time with leading thinkers.

Upcoming events

Using Large Language Models for Reliable Evidence in International Research

Naoki Egami, Associate Professor, MIT Political Science

Affiliate, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society

12:00pm - 1:00pm

Building E40 - 496

Racing, Not Competing: The New U.S.-China Power Dynamic

Evan Medeiros, Professor, Georgetown University

12:00pm - 1:30pm

Building E40 - 496

Science in Wartime Ukraine: Campus Engagement

Yevheniia Polishchuk, Chair, Ukrainian Science Diaspora

Professor, Kyiv National Economic University

Visiting Fellow, Krakow University of Economics

Michael Short, Professor, Nuclear Science and Engineering, MIT

Svitlana Krasynska, Program Manager, MIT-Ukraine Program

5:00pm - 6:30pm

Building E40 - Lucian W. Pye Room (E40-496)

Innovation on Steroids: What are We Learning from the Ukraine War?

Erik Lin-Greenberg, Co-Director, Security Studies Program Wargaming Lab, Leo Marx Career Development Associate Professor in the History and Culture of Science and Technology

Gene Keselman, Principal Lecturer, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management, MIT Sloan School

4:30pm - 6:00pm

Building 3 - 270

Ellie Schueler

Community Spotlight: Ellie Schueler

At CIS, our colleagues make all the difference. Get to know the people who bring energy, care, and excellence to everything we do.

Our community

Mihaela Papa

Faculty and Researchers

Mihaela Papa

Director of Research

Principal Research Scientist

Director, BRICS Lab

Nat Hoonsan

Nat Hoonsan

Social Media and Communications Administrator, Security Studies Program

Mariya Grinberg

Faculty and Researchers

Mariya Grinberg

Security Studies Program

Associate Professor, Political Science

Affiliates and Visitors

Mark Bell

Affiliate, Center for Nuclear Security Policy

Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Minnesota

Megha Hegde

Megha Hegde

Program Manager, MIT-South Asia Program

Wright Smith

PhD Student, Security Studies Program

Opportunities

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MIT and new manufacturing initiative

Postdoctoral Associate Program

The Call for Applications for the 2026–27 Postdoctoral Associate Program at CIS is currently open. The Center is dedicated to advancing innovative, policy-relevant scholarship that addresses critical global challenges, and seek to appoint two postdoctoral associates during the next academic year.

Wargaming Working Group

CIS provides working group grants for advancing interdisciplinary collaborations in the field of international studies. These small grants are provided as "seed" funds for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows seeking to address scholarly problems.

Learn how to apply