For Immediate Release
Contact Information: Interviews@usip.org

The U.S. Institute of Peace is pleased to announce the recipients of 10 competitive fellowships for 2015-2016 and the projects they will undertake on crucial topics advancing USIP’s mission and the field of peacebuilding, including the role of youth in violent extremism, the dynamics of refugee and displacement crises and the effects of civil war. USIP selected four Jennings Randolph Senior Fellows to conduct research, writing and in-house advising during residences of six to 10 months at the Institute’s headquarters in Washington D.C. Additionally, six Jennings Randolph Peace Scholars are pursuing work on their dissertations at their universities.

The Jennings Randolph Fellowship programs at USIP contribute to the understanding of peace and conflict, and help fulfill the Institute’s aim of supporting and developing the field of peacebuilding. Since soon after USIP was established three decades ago, the two fellowship programs have supported hundreds of research and writing projects by leading experts in the field at different stages in their careers. Past topics ranged from interstate strife to the intersection of oil and conflict. In recent years, topics have focused on civil wars, violence against civilians, election violence, gender in conflict, and links between humanitarian interventions and successful peacebuilding.

The following are the four new Jennings Randolph Senior Fellows, their current or recent home institutions, their project titles and information about the period of their residency at USIP:

Derek Brown, Peace Appeal Foundation:  An Examination of the Institutional Structures that Support National Dialogue Processes. Mr. Brown is currently in residence at USIP.
Rabia Chaudry, New America Foundation: Religion and Countering Violent Extremism: Examining the role of young faith leaders in driving and mitigating sectarianism in Pakistan and Myanmar. Ms. Chaudry’s residency at USIP will start on Feb. 1, 2016.
Pamina Firchow, George Mason University:  Everyday Perceptions of Peace and Justice: Community Interventions and Reconciliation in Colombia and Uganda. Dr. Firchow’s residency at USIP will begin on Jan. 4, 2016.
Manal Taha, U.S. Agency for International Development: Youth and Violent Extremism Associations in Libya: Approach to Understand Local Factors of Community Resilience and Vulnerability. Ms. Taha is currently in residence at USIP.

For more information on the senior fellowship, see the USIP program page.

The following are the 2015-2016 Jennings Randolph Peace Scholars, a non-residential fellowship, along with their universities, departments and topics:

Noel Anderson, Department of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Competitive Intervention and its Consequences for Civil Wars.
McKenzie Johnson, University Program in Environmental Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University: Low Politics Peace: Environmental Governance as an Instrument for Peacebuilding in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Christina Kim, Department of Anthropology, New School for Social Research: Rethinking the “Hermit Kingdom”: Emerging Relations with North Korea from the Ground Up in Dandong, China.
Adam Lichtenheld, Department of Political Science, University of California Berkeley:
Forced Displacement, Counterinsurgency and State-Building in Civil Wars.
Stephanie Schwartz, Department of Political Science, Columbia University:  
Homeward Bound: Return Migration after Civil War.
Lauren Young, Department of Political Science, Columbia University: Where Does Intimidation Work? The Psychology of Repression and Collective Action.

For more information on the scholars and their work, see USIP’s Peace Scholars page.