The Policy in Action Project — a hands-on work and learning venture — is the capstone to every MPA student’s education at Brown. The MPA Program curates high-profile partnerships with governmental and non-governmental agencies across the country and around the world. The suite of projects also includes several in the Providence and Rhode Island area, allowing MPA students to see the tangible impact of their efforts.

What leads major international powers like the United States, China and Russia to cooperate with one another? What causes periods of constructive engagement to end? These questions are central to research being conducted by Tyler Jost at the Watson School, which has been greatly aided by the work of undergraduate research assistants funded through the Undergraduate Research and Teaching Award (UTRA) program.

The 2026 Watson School student awards, grants and prizes celebrate students pursuing work across the globe and across traditional academic boundaries — through research, internships, language study, public service, honors projects and policy engagement.

Juben Rabbani, a Watson Ph.D. fellow from the Department of Anthropology, created a unique art project as a “visual supplement” to his master’s thesis on the impact of the EV transition on the Salton Sea region of California. Now, he has teamed up with Art at Watson to turn it into a multimedia exhibition, which will be on display until the end of summer 2026.

Bryan Joffe realized at a young age that access to a good education was the largest determinant of long-term economic success. A degree from Brown’s Master of Public Affairs has enabled him to fight for a level playing field for those most often shut out of high-quality education throughout his career.

Senior International and Public Affairs (IAPA) concentrator Bruna da Silva Melo found the perfect vehicle for community building in the Watson School’s Africa Initiative.

Using the skills developed at the Watson School, Ellie Adair plays the infinite game in her role as chief operating officer at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review.

Anzhela Kalsynova, a Brown graduate student in public health and public affairs, penned an op-ed arguing that private equity purchase of Rhode Island nursing homes has resulted in a lower standard of care at most facilities.

Minh Hoang plans to leverage the skills he has developed in Brown’s Master of Public Affairs program to make life better in his native Vietnam.