China Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow Shanni Zhao is researching how rapid economic, political and societal changes have impacted dating practices and marriage in contemporary China.

David Blanding, who earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Brown University, returned to the University a year ago as an associate professor of the practice of international and public affairs. This year, he steps into a new role as director of Watson's Master of Public Affairs program.

In a new paper, a team of researchers led by members of the Watson Institute's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies found that civil society organizations in the Global South played a critical role in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Entering its second decade, the Watson Institute's China Initiative seeks to understand China's rapid transformation from a variety of perspectives.

This year six Watson research proposals were awarded a total of $121,486 in Birkelund Funds. The funds are used to support faculty research — especially in the early stages — and to encourage student engagement in research.

There will be a variety of events across the Brown community addressing the current situation in Israel and Gaza.

Anya Bassett joined the faculty of the Watson Institute this fall as faculty director of the International and Public Affairs (IAPA) concentration and director of undergraduate teaching and learning.

A new Watson Institute initiative will provide Brown Masters of Public Affairs students and International and Public Affairs concentrators with additional opportunities to make valuable connections and receive career advice from distinguished Watson senior fellows.

The Watson Institute, its centers, institutes and programs have a dynamic roster of thought-provoking events planned for the fall 2023 semester.

The Watson Institute recently welcomed a new cohort to its Military Fellows Program for the 2023-2024 academic year. The six new fellows will spend the next year immersed in Watson's scholarly community, engaging with students and faculty, taking classes, giving special lectures, attending seminars and conducting research.

The fall of 2023 will bring renowned human rights lawyer Malika Saada Saar ’92 and former U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin to the Watson Institute as senior fellows who will lead student study groups, along with an array of practitioners who will focus on issues relevant to first-generation and low-income college students.