Center Fellows Share Insights

Several fellows from different Belfer Center programs and projects described insights they’ve gained or lessons they’ve learned during their fellowships at the Center.

Michael Poznansky

International Security Program Research Fellow

I’ve learned at the Belfer Center that the frequently bemoaned gulf between academics and policymakers can be appreciably narrowed by putting individuals from both communities in the same room. The workshops I’ve attended here aretestament to the power of this straightforward solution. The appetite for learning from one another already exists. The Belfer Center helps to facilitate the conversation.

Jinqiang (JC) Chen

Giorgio Ruffolo Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Sustainability Science, ETIP

The Belfer Center is a great place that integrates science, technology, and publicpolicy into multifaceted solutions to the most challenging problems our society is facing. At Caltech, I received rigorous training in climate science, while at the Belfer Center, I have been further nourished in the nexus of policy, energy, and finance. Here, I found great mentors and collaborators committed to creating a better world.

David Eaves

Science, Technology and Public Policy Program Research Fellow

Recent events show that a key area where important work is to be done is getting together those concerned about managing cybersecurity with those concerned about privacy and democratic rights. Given all of the expertise both at Belfer and at the Kennedy School, this is one of the best positioned places to have that conversation.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Future of Diplomacy Project Fellow

In working with the Future of Diplomacy Project, I have taught diverse students of differing backgrounds and opinions.  What they all had in common was their propensity to seek evidence-based solutions to complex problems.  In the midst of a political climate ruled by emotion and unsubstantiated soundbites, I am encouraged by the fact-driven mindsets of these students, knowing that they will be our future leaders.

Jayita Sarkar

Project on Managing the Atom/International Security Program Research Fellow

While at the Belfer Center, two most important realizations I had were regarding mentorship and kindness. Offer and seek help without hesitation. Kindness works best when we pay it forward. These are timeless insights that will remain invaluable in my professional life no matter where I am, what I do, and who I meet.

Karoline Steinbacher

Giorgio Ruffolo Doctoral Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group

Being a pre-doctoral fellow with the Energy Technology Innovation Policy group and the EU Sustainability Initiative at the Belfer Center has been an incredibly enriching experience. It also helped me understand differences and similarities in how climate and energy policy are discussed in the U.S. and in Europe – an understanding that will certainly be very valuable  wherever my career takes me.

Kaho Yu

Geopolitics of Energy Project Research Fellow

I am attracted to the Geopolitics of Energy Project’s prestigious global connections and its unique focus on the role of diplomatic practice in a globalized world. It is a unique gateway to learning from the experience of world-class international leaders and experts. As a researcher working on Eurasian energy geopolitics, I particularly enjoyed the seminar of Ambassador Paula Dobriansky who discussed how Russia would react to sanctions and low oil prices.

Jieun Baek

Belfer Center Fellow

The Belfer Center has taught me that the world is increasingly complicated yet all the more accessible through curiosity, rigorous research, provocative debate and relentless pursuit to understand all the ugly things in the beautiful world we live in.  And it has fundamentally humanized research for me: trying to improve the lives of fellow human beings is at the core of policy research.

For more about Belfer Center fellows and fellowships, see here.