2026 News from Watson

Wilmot James, an internationally recognized public health expert and former member of South Africa’s Parliament, is the new director of the Watson School’s Africa Initiative. James has ambitious plans for the initiative, which will highlight African contributions to global affairs and focus on the continent’s future and untapped potential.

On July 1, 2026, the Watson School appointed three new leaders in academic programming and welcomed two new center directors.

The Watson School welcomed four notable policy leaders to its Senior Fellows program this fall: former Rhode Island Governor and U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo; former President of Colombia Iván Duque; NBC News Senior Executive Editor on National Security, David Rohde; and international human rights lawyer and social entrepreneur, Jaykumar Menon.

This fall, a dynamic lineup of events will bring leading voices to Watson for conversations on some of today’s most pressing issues.

This year, Brown’s Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign (CNTR) partnered with the Watson School to co-sponsor its AI Policy Summer School. The program brought together graduate students from various universities across the United States to learn from leading AI policy experts and to meet with members of Congress and officials from executive agencies to discuss AI policy priorities.

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real-world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students.

The Watson School has launched a new initiative, in collaboration with local and national organizations, to assess workforce development and career-oriented higher education programs. The initiative is the first of its kind to utilize big data and rigorous statistical analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs.

With an ambitious five-year plan for growth and expansion in place, the Watson School is already changing the way international and public affairs are studied and taught at Brown in ways that stretch traditional academic boundaries.

Having spent time at the Watson School’s Africa Initiative as a visiting research fellow in 2023, Chikezirim “Chike” Nwoke was eager to return as a postdoctoral research associate after completing his Ph.D. at Carleton University.

The Watson School's Realizing Rights Lab, led by John Hazen White Professor of Public Policy, Susan Moffitt, brings together faculty, Ph.D., MPA and undergraduate students from across a variety of academic disciplines to research barriers citizens encounter to exercising their rights and what can be done to overcome them.

Mark Garrison, the founding director of Brown University's Center for Foreign Policy Development, a precursor to the Watson School, passed away peacefully in Haverford, Pennsylvania, at the age of 95 on January 1, 2026.

Art at Watson’s exhibition, “Odisha Illuminated: A Celebration of Ritual in a Modern World,” features bold, colorful textiles from the Odisha region of India. It will run through the spring 2026 semester in Stephen Robert '62 Hall.

As the Watson Policy Mentor Network enters its third year, it has expanded to provide more one-on-one mentoring opportunities for MPA students, as the School continues to facilitate engagement between its students and highly successful public policy practitioners.

These not-for-credit study groups provide an opportunity for students to delve deeply into topics and apply theory and research to real-world challenges. Enrollment in each group is limited to 25 students.