Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world
This fall, the Center is introducing more than fifty new fellows and visiting scholars representing a wide array of disciplines and professional experiences.
September 2025 – Cambridge, MA – The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to welcome its 2025–2026 community of Senior Fellows, Research Fellows, and Visiting Scholars.
This fall, the Center is introducing more than fifty new fellows and visiting scholars representing a wide array of disciplines and professional experiences. They include accomplished academics, innovators in science and technology, and former senior officials from government and industry. Together with our returning fellows and faculty, they bring invaluable expertise and perspective to the Center’s mission of generating ideas that inform decision-makers and prepare the next generation of leaders at the intersection of science and international affairs.
Belfer Center Director Meghan L. O’Sullivan welcomed the community back for another academic year. Read here.
David Balton is a Senior Fellow with the Arctic Initiative. He was the Executive Director of the U.S. Arctic Executive Steering Committee, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries in the U.S. Department of State, and Senior Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
John Bew is a Senior Fellow with the Applied History Project. He is a Professor of History and Foreign Policy at King’s College London. Previously, he served as Foreign Policy Advisor at No. 10 Downing Street under four prime ministers—where he led Britain’s 2021, 2023, and 2025 national security strategies and contributed to NATO’s recent Strategic Concept.
Ivo H. Daalder is a Senior Fellow with the Transatlantic Project on Europe. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama, on the U.S. National Security Council under President Bill Clinton, and as President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs from 2013 to 2025.
Karim Haggag is a Senior Fellow with the Middle East Initiative. He is a career Egyptian diplomat with more than 25 years of service, specializing in U.S. policy toward the Middle East, regional security, arms control, and Arab-Israeli diplomacy. He is also Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo’s School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. In September 2025, he will become Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Avner Halperin is a Senior Fellow with the Middle East Initiative, and CEO of Sheba Impact, where he drives the creation of breakthrough medical technology startups within an ecosystem valued at over $5 billion. An entrepreneur and innovator, he served as founding CEO of EarlySense and serves as Chairman of EyeControl Ltd., an award-winning AI medical device company.
Kathleen Hicks is a Senior Fellow with the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program. She served as the 35th U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and is a Senior Fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s Kissinger Center for Global Affairs and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She also spent seven years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies as Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director of the International Security Program.
Laura S. H. Holgate is a Senior Fellow with the Managing the Atom Program. She twice served as U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international organizations in Vienna. She is President of LSHH International Advisors, and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She has also served as Vice President of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Special Assistant to the President at the National Security Council, and in senior roles at the Departments of Energy and Defense.
Aditi Kumar is a Senior Fellow with the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program. She was formerly Principal Deputy Director at the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit, leading rapid acquisition and deployment of commercial technologies to meet urgent military needs.
Thomas Kenney is a Senior Fellow with the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program. He is the CEO of Tycho.AI, and a lifelong entrepreneur with over three decades of experience as a Founder, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Executive Officer in the software industry. He has also served as a technology executive at Google, a Special Government Employee serving on the Defense Science Board, and an affiliate at MIT’s Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems.
Mick Mulroy is a Senior Fellow with the Intelligence Project, President of Fogbow LLC, Distinguished Military Fellow for the Middle East Institute, an ABC News National Security and Defense Analyst, an advisor for the Center for a New American Security, and the Co-Founder of the Lobo Institute. He previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, and is a retired CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer from the Special Activities Center and United States Marine.
Brigadier General (Ret.) Dr. Oren Setter is a non-residential Senior Fellow with the Middle East Initiative. He served with a distinguished 30-year career with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), culminating as Deputy Director for Strategy and Negotiations at the Hostages Taskforce. Previously, Dr. Setter led the IDF Strategic Planning Division, and represented the IDF in high-stakes negotiations, including the Israel-Lebanon maritime border discussions.
Mallory Stewart is a non-resident Senior Fellow with the Project on Managing the Atom. She most recently served as Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Arms Control, Disarmament, and Nonproliferation at the National Security Council, and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Emerging Security Challenges and Defense Policy.
Listed by Program, Project or Fellowship Appointment.