The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future welcomed eight Boston University graduate students as the 2026 cohort of its Graduate Summer Fellows Program. Running from May 26 through July 31, the 10-week fellowship provides master’s and doctoral students with the opportunity to conduct independent, future-oriented, policy-relevant research while participating in interdisciplinary workshops and discussions. At the conclusion of the program, each Fellow will produce a substantive research paper to be considered for publication by the Pardee Center.

Representing six academic departments and four schools and colleges across the University, the 2026 Fellows are exploring topics ranging from artificial intelligence and international political economy to climate resilience, global health, and education. Meet this year’s Graduate Summer Fellows:

Yunxiao (Caitlyn) Chen, COM, PhD, Emerging Media Studies – A first-year doctoral student in Emerging Media Studies, Caitlyn Chen examines the intersection of technology governance, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction. Her fellowship research builds on a strong interest in privacy and digital governance, particularly in virtual reality environments. She earned an MA in Communication with distinction from the University of Florida.

Thang Ha, GRS, PhD, Political Science – A PhD candidate specializing in international political economy and security, Thang Ha focuses on Southeast Asia and China’s foreign policy. Before joining Boston University, he served as a specialist at Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked as a research assistant at BU’s Global Development Policy Center. His summer research examines the politics of demand signaling in sanctions.

Yvonne Ilupeju, GRS, PhD, Political Science – Yvonne Ilupeju studies comparative politics and international relations, with particular expertise on African politics and development. She earned a first-class MPhil from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, where she researched the political ecology of e-waste smuggling, and has also conducted research with MIT’s Global Diversity Lab.

Mira Kelly-Fair, GRS, PhD, Earth & Environment – Mira Kelly-Fair is a doctoral candidate whose research models coastal and mangrove ecosystems to support climate resilience planning. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she has worked as a naturalist at the New England Aquarium, represented Boston University at COP29, and currently serves as president of the Earth and Environment Graduate Student Association.

Melissa Martin, GRS, PhD, Earth & Environment – Melissa Martin investigates the growing demand for space cooling in a warming world, a topic that sits at the intersection of climate change, urbanization, and energy equity. She brings extensive professional experience from Element Energy and the climate think tank E3G and holds an MSc with distinction from Imperial College London.

Stanley Muoghalu, SPH, DrPH, Public Health – With more than 15 years of experience as a physician and global health professional, Stanley Muoghalu has contributed to malaria surveillance, Ebola response efforts, and reproductive health systems strengthening across Nigeria and Sierra Leone. His experience includes work with the World Health Organization, the World Bank’s Global Financing Facility, and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative.

Muhammad Rizkita, Pardee School, MA, International Affairs – A master’s student concentrating in security studies, Muhammad Rizkita explores the intersections of religion, politics, and identity. Originally from Indonesia, he earned his undergraduate degree in Islamic Philosophy magna cum laude and has published extensively on issues including religious intolerance, secularism, and identity politics.

Tong Xin, GRS, PhD, Anthropology – Tong Xin is a sociocultural anthropology PhD candidate whose dissertation research examines sexuality education for children in China through ethnographic and participatory research methods. Prior to Boston University, she worked at Peking University’s School of Public Health and China’s National Center for Women and Children’s Health and has co-curated several public exhibitions inspired by her fieldwork.

*Each year, a master’s or first-year PhD student is designated the Appleton Schneider Fellow in honor of BU Alumnus Appleton Schneider, who provided a bequest to the Pardee Center endowment to support the Graduate Summer Fellows program.

The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future is an interdisciplinary research center of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. The center conducts interdisciplinary research on globally important issues that affect the human condition over the course of several decades. Through programs of scholarship, outreach, and education, the Pardee Center works to improve public decision-making and policy and to train future generations of interdisciplinary scholars.