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

Olivia Honeycutt '26, MISTI

Improving understanding with language

Asean flags

ASEAN’s test in a fragmented global economy

Daniel Cebul

PhD student Daniel Cebul receives World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship

Democracy and drinking water

Democracy delivers the tap. But not always the safe water.

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MIT Asia Real Estate Initiative expands its footprint in booming Asian cities

MIT Asia Real Estate Initiative expands its footprint in booming Asian cities

ASEAN’s collective resilience agenda: Can it deliver under pressure?

ASEAN’s collective resilience agenda: Can it deliver under pressure?

Retrench, defend, compete

Retrench, defend, compete

“I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students”

“I have yet to meet a professor that cares more for their students”

CIS congratulates our 2026 graduates

CIS congratulates our PhD graduates

Why has China doubled its nuclear capacity in the last decade?

Why has China doubled its nuclear capacity in the last decade?

ASEAN leaders expected to issue joint statement on Middle East crisis

ASEAN leaders expected to issue joint statement on Middle East crisis

Southeast Asia: Not choosing sides but options

Southeast Asia: Not choosing sides but options

Six MIT SHASS educators receive 2026 Levitan Teaching Awards

Six MIT SHASS educators receive 2026 Levitan Teaching Awards

Asean’s test in a fragmented global economy

ASEAN’s test in a fragmented global economy

Two women working in a lab

MIT Global Seed Funds

Each year, approximately $2 million is awarded to over 100 proposals. Since its inception in 2008, GSF has awarded more than $30 million to enable some 1,300 faculty research collaborations.

Upcoming events

Best Practices to Save Multilateralism

Michael Franczak, Senior Researcher, Multilateralism and Global Governance, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, USA

Hylke Dijkstra, Full Professor of International Security and Cooperation, Maastricht University, the Netherlands

Project Coordinator, Horizon project ENSURED

Ettore Greco, Executive Vice President and Head, Multilateralism and Global Governance Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Italy

Federica Marconi, Researcher, Multilateralism and Global Governance Programme, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Italy

Mihaela Papa, Director of Research

Principal Research Scientist

Director, BRICS Lab

MIT Center for International Studies

Stella Ladi, Senior Fellow, Global Governance Innovation Platform, United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, USA

Professor in Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London, UK

Associate Professor, Panteion University, Athens, Greece

12:00pm - 1:30pm

Zoom and UNU-CPR | One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, 885 2nd Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017 -

FIFA World Cup 2026 — France vs Senegal

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Kendall/MIT Open Space -

FIFA World Cup 2026 — Ghana vs England

3:30pm - 6:00pm

Kendall/MIT Open Space -

FIFA World Cup 2026 3

1:00pm - 3:00pm

Kendall/MIT Open Space -

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

Faculty and Researchers

Hiromu Nagahara

Associated Faculty, MIT-Japan Program

Mitsui Career Development Professor in Contemporary Technology

Associate Professor, History

Kate Danahy

Kate Danahy

Assistant to the Director and Senior Administrative Assistant

Nilsu Celikel

Nilsu Celikel

PhD Student, Security Studies Program

Faculty and Researchers

Ben Ross Schneider

Faculty Director, MIT-Chile Program, MIT-Peru Program

Ford International Professor of Political Science

Wenyan Deng

Wen Deng

PhD Student, Security Studies Program

Affiliates and Visitors

David Thang Moe

Research Affiliate

Residential Scholar in Religion and Southeast Asian Studies, Yale University

Opportunities

See all opportunities

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