FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MAY 13, 2026

Wilson Center Announces Class of 2026–2027 Research Fellows

Experts Will Bridge Scholarship and Most Pressing Foreign Policy Challenges

WASHINGTON – The Wilson Center today announced the 2026–2027 class of Research Fellows, a group of scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals selected through a competitive process to fulfill the Center’s Congressional mandate to bridge the worlds of learning and public affairs.

“A strong nonpartisan Research Fellows program is the cornerstone of the Wilson Center’s statutory mission to serve as a trusted bridge between scholarship and policy, and we’re proud to announce the newest class,” said Natasha Jacome, Wilson Center President and CEO. “The 2026–27 Research Fellows, selected from more than 600 applicants, represent exactly the kind of world-class expertise policymakers look to for perspective on today’s most pressing policy debates — from strategic competition and economic statecraft to emerging technology and critical regional challenges.”

Wilson Center Research Fellows conduct in-depth research and publish within their areas of expertise. They also engage directly with policymakers and contribute to the Center’s renewed Congressional education programs, providing Members of Congress and their staff with accessible, nonpartisan briefings, expert analysis, and continuous learning opportunities.

“The Wilson Center developed into one of the most influential policy centers in the world by recruiting and promoting leading experts through its fellows programs and connecting them and their work with policymakers," said David Mansdoerfer, Acting Chair of the Wilson Center Board of Trustees. “This new class of research fellows builds on that history to meet the statutory mission outlined by Congress to provide deep scholarship in a nonpartisan environment.”

The new class of Research Fellows joins groups of Visiting and Distinguished Fellows announced last year, including: Ambassador David Hale; Ambassador (ret.) Philip Reeker; Jill Dougherty; Carrie Filipetti; Anka Lee; and Ken Westbrook.

The 2026–2027 Research Fellows and the projects they will pursue while affiliated with the Wilson Center are:

• Elie Alhajjar – “The Future of Bilateral US-India Relationship”
• Sunny Cheung – “Charting China’s Future Industries: Implications for US and Taiwan Technology Strategy and Coordinated Responses”
• Leila Dagher – “Fostering Regional Peace through Economic Integration: The Potential of a US-Backed Economic Peace Zone in South Lebanon”
• James DeHart – “Strengthening US Presence in the Arctic through Dual-Use Investments and International Partnerships”
• Federico Donelli– “Great and Middle Power Competition in the Red Sea: Hybrid Security Orders and US Strategic Interests”
• Khrystyna Holynska – “Resilience as a Form of Deterrence During Conflict: Lessons from Ukraine for Transatlantic Security”
• Leland Lazarus – “The Silk Road of Crime: The Rise of Chinese Organized Crime Around the World”
• Nolan Peterson – “Tibetan Resistance at a Crossroads: Historical Legacies, Competing Visions, and the Strategic Issues at Stake”
• Rebecca Pincus – “How the Opening Arctic will Reshape Trade: Implications for Global Competition and US Economic Statecraft”
• Joseph Sassoon – “Iraq and Its Three Wars: The Conflicts that Fundamentally Changed the Middle East and the US Role in the Region”
• Joseph Torigian – “The Cultural Revolution and the Bomb”

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