Out of 35 applicants, the Watson Institute has selected nine students for the 2024-2025 Director’s Fellowship cohort, offering them the chance to collaborate on research with faculty across the Institute's centers and initiatives.
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David Polatty
Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, Director, Military Fellows Program
Areas of Expertise
Energy & Environment, Ethnic Conflict & Civil War, Global Health, Humanitarian Response, Technology & Innovation
Areas of Interest
Leadership, innovation, humanitarian response, climate change, strategy development, military planning.
Biography
Dave Polatty is a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute teaching undergraduate courses, conducting impactful research, and directing the Military Fellows Program. He spent over 40 combined years in U.S. government service in multiple leadership roles as both a civilian professor at the U.S. Naval War College and Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He has also worked as a senior executive and strategic advisor for humanitarian nongovernmental organizations and his professional experiences focus on humanitarian response, national and human security, strategy development, crisis planning, and climate change.
Dave is a fourth-generation U.S. Navy officer and served for 30 years, retiring as a Captain. From 2009 to 2019, he was the commanding officer for five different Navy Reserve units that supported multinational and U.S. military operations around the globe. While on active duty from 1992 to 2003, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer and Naval Flight Officer.
From 2008 to 2022, he served as a civilian professor at the Naval War College where he founded and directed the Humanitarian Response Program, and designed and taught numerous postgraduate courses on strategic planning, crisis response, and humanitarian response.
He holds a BS in History from the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with the highest distinction from the U.S. Naval War College, earning an M.A. in National Security Strategic Studies and receiving the Navy League William S. Sims Award. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Joint Forces Staff College. He was awarded two Legions of Merit and numerous other personal and unit awards while in uniform. He is a proud recipient of the Brown University Class of 2024 ‘Barrett Hazeltine Citation for Excellence in Teaching, Guidance and Support’.
Research
Dave's current and prior research efforts primarily focus on civil-military coordination in humanitarian response and include:
- Use of Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys (Brown/UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
- Humanitarian Notification Systems for Deconfliction (Brown/Naval War College/Stanford Law School)
- Protection of Civilians in Great Power Conflict (Brown/Center for Civilians in Conflict/Naval War College)
- Civilian-Military Interaction in Conflicts: Best Practices and Perceptions (Brown/Naval War College) - funded by US Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, & Migration
- Global Military Engagements in the COVID-19 Response (Brown/Naval War College)
Publications
2023 “Civil-Military Coordination in Disaster Response,” Co-authored with Court, M. and Horne, S. Chapter for the 3rd Edition of Ciottone’s Disaster Medicine.
2023 “Improving Civil-Military Engagement Protection Outcomes in Humanitarian Response,” Co-authored with Salaru, D. et al. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, September 2023.
2023 “Civilian-Military Coordination During the U.S. National Response to COVID-19,” Co-authored with Nylen, A. et al. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, May 2023.
2022 “Reviewing Guidance and Perspectives on Humanitarian Notification Systems for Deconfliction,” Co-authored with Bebbington, C., et al. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, October 2022.
2022 “Humanitarian-Military Relations in Complex Emergencies: Evidence, Insights, and Recommendations,” Co-authored with Alejandria, M. et al. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, Brown University, May 2022.
2021 “U.S. Security Partnerships and the Protection of Civilians: Government of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian National Defense Force,” Co-authored with Bebbington, C. et al. Brown University, Security Assistance Monitor, and InterAction, December 2021.
2021 “Operationalizing Equity During Local Pandemic Response,” Co-authored with Raymond, N. et al. EClinicalMedicine, Published by The Lancet. June 7, 2021. London, United Kingdom.
2021 “The political and security dimensions of the humanitarian health response to violent conflict,” Co-authored with Wise, P. et al. The Lancet. April 24, 2021. London, United Kingdom.
Recent News
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Alumni Spotlight: Laura Cianciolo ’24 MPA
Laura Cianciolo, who earned her Master of Public Affairs at the Watson Institute in 2024, credits her Watson-acquired expertise in statistics, econometrics, data visualization, problem-solving skills and interdisciplinary problem-solving with empowering her to conduct more sophisticated and meaningful research.
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The Watson Institute awarded Birkelund funds to five faculty research projects during the 2023 - 2024 academic year. Projects ranged from studying civilian-military coordination during the pandemic to creating a study group between Brown students and faculty, and quilombola communities in Brazil.
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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.
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Watson welcomes largest-ever cohort of military fellows
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.
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Fall 2023 UTRA grants create research opportunities at Watson
The Watson Institute funded $10,000 in Undergraduate Research and Teaching Awards to support Brown students collaborating with Watson faculty on research projects during the fall 2023 semester.
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