After a highly competitive selection process, the John Quincy Adams Society is pleased to announce its Fall 2024 cohort of Marcellus Policy Fellows. This is the Society’s ninth cohort of fellows. The Fellows will spend the next twelve weeks learning from top experts on foreign policy as they develop a think tank style policy analysis on a pressing issue facing U.S. strategy. They will also be trained to produce supporting materials to make their work more likely to have impact, culminating in production of an op-ed and a one-page policy memorandum. Past fellows have gone on to work at a number of prominent foreign policy institutions in government, academia, the media, and think tanks. You can read their bios below.
Omar Abdelrahman is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Government and minoring in History. His interests include researching Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” groups, exploring the often-overlooked tense relationship between Shia and Sunni militant groups within the axis. You can read Omar’s paper here.
George Barber is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he studied International Affairs and History. After working as an Editorial Intern at The National Interest, he now works in the U.S. House of Representatives. George’s paper will focus on the United States’ relationship with Latin America, articulating what our core interests are in the region and providing recommendations for how to pursue them. You can read George’s paper here.
Rishab Chatty is Associate Director at the Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention and an MPP Candidate at the University of Chicago. He will be researching the humanitarian implications of U.S. military assistance and arms exports to countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Rishab’s paper is forthcoming.
Garrett Ehinger finished a B.S. in biomedicine and Chinese in 2022 and is now pursuing an MPH with disaster and emergency management certifications. He is a researcher and published writer on foreign policy and biosecurity, with op-eds in Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, and The National Interest. He has done research and analysis for the University of Utah, for the Oxford Biosecurity Group, for the NGO ARMoR, and is now currently working on collaborations with the UK government’s MHRA on Southeast Asian and East Asian biosecurity policy analysis. As part of the Fellowship, his paper analyzed U.S.-China flashpoints in the Middle East. You can read Garrett’s paper here.
Sherleen P. Espinosa is a Medical Service Corps Officer in the United States Navy. She holds a Master’s in National Security Policy from Duke University, as well as an M.S. in Community Health and a B.S. in Environmental Health from Old Dominion University, along with a certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. She is the Director of Health Security Cooperation at the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Falls Church, Virginia. From 2022 to 2024, she was the Director of Health Security Cooperation and Global Health for the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In this role, she served as the Force Health Protection Officer and led medical planning for the Pacific Partnership missions, the Department of Defense’s largest humanitarian missions in the Indo-Pacific region. She has made significant contributions to global health security by developing concepts that led to over 1,600 medical engagements in Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Salomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. Her policy analysis will explore how America can leverage health diplomacy to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives, strengthen alliances, and counter challenges from U.S. competitors like China. Sherleen’s paper is forthcoming.
Sofia Guerra is a Government Relations Associate at Win Without War, where she engages Congress on nuclear risk reduction, security assistance, and Pentagon budgeting. A Mexican-Salvadoran-American native of Daly City, California, she is passionate about making American foreign policy work for transnational security. Her policy analysis will center the AI governance models of the U.S. and China in relation to advancements in AI interpretability, nuclear arms control, and crisis stability. She graduated from Amherst College with a degree in Political Science and Asian Languages and Civilizations in 2022. In her free time, you can find her checking out concerts, practicing her Arabic, or running around DC. You can read Sofia’s paper here.
Chad Kunkle is a recipient of a B.S. and M.S. in International Affairs from Florida State University and a former intern at the Hudson Institute. His policy paper will cover the crisis in the Red Sea and will explore alternative methods to the current approach by the United States and its partners, as well as how the United States should handle similar issues that may arise due to emerging weapon technologies and increasing multipolarity. You can read Chad’s paper here.
John Lubianetsky is a senior at the University of Kansas majoring in Chinese Literature, Global and International Studies, Political Science, and Russia, Eastern European, Eurasian Studies. He is interested in arms control and the future of Sino-American relations. John’s paper focused on East Asian arms control through the lens of arrangements conducted under American alliances in the Indo-Pacific region, Chinese state responses to those developments, and the effects of Chinese participation in international arms control arrangements. The paper proposed methods to further and strengthen arms control policy between the United States and China. You can read John’s paper here.
Alex Mazzone graduated from Georgetown University in 2022 with a B.A. in Economics. He went on to pursue a M.A. in Global Security Studies from Johns Hopkins University. He is a former collegiate lacrosse player at both schools and now plays professionally in the Premier Lacrosse League. His policy interests center on nuclear and grand strategy. Alex’s policy paper will explore the “two-peer environment” argument as it relates to its implications on U.S. nuclear strategy. You can read Alex’s paper here.
Tim Mullen is a Security and Intelligence Consultant with Convoy Group in Pittsburgh, PA. Timothy graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a History and Political Science B.A. Timothy also completed his Master of Public and International Affairs concentrating in Security and Intelligence studies from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. His academic interests include U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, counterterrorism, and intrastate conflict. Tim hopes to use his background in intelligence analysis to pursue a career reimagining American foreign policy in the Middle East and beyond. Tim’s paper is forthcoming.
Doniyor Mutalov is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, specializing in global security and international law. His research interests include the use of force under domestic and international law (jus ad bellum), as well as laws governing arms control and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. His paper is about how Congress could check and reclaim the sanctioning power from the executive branch, a unilateral power so unrestrained that even the Supreme Court has claimed it to be “sweeping and unqualified.” Doniyor’s paper is forthcoming.
Edward Nagler is a junior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in Political Science. He is also an undergraduate fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center (NDISC) and the Center for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG). His research interests include U.S.-China relations and nuclear politics. He is also the current president of the Notre Dame JQAS chapter. His upcoming policy paper will examine the implications of the June 2024 North Korea-Russia treaty on East Asian security. Concerned that a typical U.S. response could exacerbate tensions with China, Edward seeks to identify avenues for U.S.-China cooperation to mitigate the North Korea-Russia alliance and pursue arms control with the DPRK. Edward’s paper is forthcoming.
Kamsi Obiorah is a senior at Emory University, pursuing a major in Political Science and a minor in Economics. Her research interests include the U.S. Armed Forces, defense planning, and Sino-American relations. She has interned at Mercy Corps, The Carter Center, and the Institute for Global Affairs housed at Eurasia Group. Kamsi also recently took a defense policy course at the American Enterprise Institute’s Summer Honors Program. Her policy analysis explores why the United States should enter a restraint agreement with China instead of procuring more anti-ship missiles and increasing sales of them to Taiwan. You can read Kamsi’s paper here.
William Purdy is a Master of International Affairs student at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service with specialties in national security and diplomacy. William studies mostly East Asian security matters and their implications for the United States. With a previous B.A. in History and Political Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville, William hopes to become a lifelong public servant who can help guide U.S foreign policy, inform policymakers, and bring to bear a host of knowledge in the realm of international relations. Past experiences for William include working in the aerospace industry, consulting, and luxury retail through Cartier. William hopes to write a paper that tackles U.S. security commitments in East Asia and runs a potential cost analysis on how nuclearization may prove to be a cheaper and more reliable option for stability and deterrence for South Korea and Japan while serving U.S. interests. You can read William’s paper here.
Griffin Stibor holds an MSc in International Politics from Trinity College Dublin and a B.A. in International Relations, French, and History from Penn State University. He is interested in Sub-Saharan Africa, international financial institutions, climate change, and economic development and their relationships with US foreign policy and each other. You can read Griffin’s paper here.
Evan Ward is an ORISE fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of International Affairs. In May of 2024 he graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with a M.A. in international relations. Before studying towards his master’s degree, Evan worked as a legislative staffer in the House of Representatives of his home state of Michigan. He has a B.A. from Xavier University where he studied in the Philosophy, Politics, and the Public honors program. Evan’s regional focus is Europe/Eurasia. Thematically, he is interested in multipolarity, the relationship between foreign and domestic policy, and the geopolitics of energy. His second language is Italian. You can read Evan’s paper here.