Maya Mikelson is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in International Relations and Methods. Her research interests include repression, conflict, militarization, interventions, and human rights. Before attending Berkeley, she earned a B.S. with High Honors in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her senior thesis examined how militarization is measured and the relationship between militarization and conflict, using a latent variable model. She was an APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute Scholar in 2024.
Eddie Chu is a junior majoring in Legal Studies, focusing on Law, Rights, and Social Change, with a minor in Public Policy. As a Research Apprentice with the Institute of International Studies (IIS), he assists with news monitoring in Myanmar. He investigates the humanitarian crisis, economic and social conditions, and the Rohingya crisis, organizing the most important and relevant news for international policymakers. Eddie previously worked as a fact-checker intern with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (...
Kaung is an undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience. His interests are in supporting human rights and underrepresented communities. Kaung previously worked as a Research Assistant in IIS's International Policy Research Discovery (IPRD) summer program. He plans to go to law school after completing his bachelor’s degree.
Chloé Choi is a Political Science major at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Research Apprentice with the Institute of International Studies (IIS), where she researches human rights, security, and international and regional diplomacy in Myanmar. She is particularly interested in how domestic political institutions interact with regional and international actors, especially in contexts of conflict and political instability. Originally from Washington State, Chloé hopes to use research to better understand the experiences of communities affected by conflict and the broader...
Public lecture by Professor Amitav Acharya Distinguished Professor of International Relations, American University The Institute of International Studies & the Goldman School of Public Policy are pleased to welcome Prof. Amitav Acharya for a public talk at IIS. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, the West has been in crisis. Social unrest, political polarization, and...
Public talk by Eva Buzo Executive Director, Humanus
For too long, the field of international justice has been satisfied with “paper victories” - legal precedents and symbolic judgments that look good in a briefing but fail to manifest as tangible change on the ground. Systemic shifts are required for the human rights sector to remain effective in an increasingly volatile global landscape. To be truly victim-centered, human rights defenders need to shift their priorities away from in-principle victories to approaches that actually...
IIS recently onboarded the inaugural cohort of the International Policy Research Discovery (IPRD) program. Ten Berkeley students are conducting summer resarch on the conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Democratic Republic of Congo for the human rights organization PAEMA (Preventing And Ending Mass Atrocities). Each student produces two research deliverables such as a literature review, policy brief, or conflict news monitor. These pieces will be used internally by PAEMA and shared with international policymakers working to protect civilians in...
March 16, 2026 | 1230 - 2 PM | Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall
(*NOTE: Stephens Hall is next door to the IIS office in Philosophy Hall)
IIS is delighted to welcome the renowned author, journalist and professor Howard French on March 16 in conversation with journalist and UC Berkeley lecturer Adam Hochschild.
Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books,...
