| Alex Avaneszadeh is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2023 candidate at The Fletcher School, focusing on Public International Law and International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. He received his B.A. in Political Science from California Lutheran University and has worked in international development and peacebuilding prior to joining Fletcher. Alex previously interned at the Eurasia Partnership Foundation in Yerevan, Armenia, and at Search for Common Ground in Washington, D.C. He later served as a Development Coordinator and New Business Associate for Africa at DAI, and was a geopolitical analyst at Foreign Brief, publishing forward-looking analyses on upcoming political events in the post-Soviet space. He focuses on the geopolitical, economic, and energy security dynamics of the South Caucasus, and he speaks English and Armenian. |
| Sarah Baughn is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2024 candidate at The Fletcher School, focusing on Comparative and Regional Studies as well as International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. Areas of expertise include post-Soviet state politics, nationalism and authoritarianism, and East Asia-United States relations. Prior to attending Fletcher, Sarah received a B.A. in International Studies and Philosophy from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Following graduation, Sarah became a JET Program participant in Suzu, Japan from 2019 through 2021. In 2022, Sarah worked as an interim SIFE teacher in Nashville, Tennessee before matriculating to Fletcher. Sarah is a Senior Print Editor for the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs and has language proficiency in English, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. |
| Hannah Campeanu is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2024 candidate, focusing on human security and global governance. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in business from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Prior to her studies at Fletcher, she worked in editorial roles in academic book publishing for six years, including at Oxford University Press on history and religion and at Springer Nature on gastroenterology, nephrology, and hematology. Her areas of interest are in migration and food security, and she is involved with planning for Fletcher’s student-run Religion, Law, and Diplomacy Conference. |
| Padmini Das is an India-trained lawyer who has written on a wide range of public interest and private sector matters. She has a diverse professional experience that includes corporate law, public policy, and financial news media. She has worked with representatives at the state and federal levels of the Indian government on issues such as legislative research, pollution control, women's safety, and conflict resolution. She is currently pursuing an LLM in International Law at The Fletcher School. She is a Senior Editor in The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, and her areas of research are international governance and security. |
| Akshat Dhankher is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2025 candidate at The Fletcher School focusing on international security, economic, and technology issues. Dhankher was previously a program assistant with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center from 2021–2023, focusing on tech and trade, digital policy, European and transatlantic security, and US-EU relations. Dhankher held prior roles as an intern with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, as a policy and government affairs assistant with BritishAmerican Business in London, and as a technology consultant co-op with Endeavour Partners. Dhankher received a BS in computer science and economics from Northeastern University in 2021, with minors in international affairs and computational social science. During this time, he was a member of the Qatar Exchange Fellowship in Doha, Qatar, and organized conferences on US-Middle East/North Africa relations with the National Council on US-Arab Relations. Dhankher is also an alumnus of the International Model NATO. He is originally from Amherst, Massachusetts. |
| Grace Kikta is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2025, focusing on international security, international negotiation, and conflict resolution. She holds a BS degree in International Business from Northeastern University. Prior to attending Fletcher, she worked in diverse roles focusing on topics related to global health, humanitarian crises, and transitional justice in the context of armed conflict. Her work spans diverse countries in Sub-Saharan and Sahel Africa, Eastern Europe, Afghanistan, and Southeast Asia, with her most recent role focusing on political issues pertaining to Belarus. As a Department of State Pickering Fellow, she will enter the U.S. Foreign Service in 2025. |
| Tatum Koroli is from Fountain Hills, Arizona. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy at the Fletcher School, focusing on human security, technology, and maritime affairs. As a first-generation college student, Tatum graduated from Arizona State University with degrees in Global Studies & Spanish Linguistics. With the Critical Languages Institute, Tatum has participated in an intensive language training in Tirana, Albania. With the Gilman Scholarship, she studied Catalan in Barcelona, Spain. As a Fulbright ETA to North Macedonia, Tatum further developed her passion for public service and diplomacy while educating her students on American culture and values. She also served as a Public Affairs Fellow for U.S. Embassy Skopje, mentored high school students in Albania with Education USA, and interned for a U.S. Congressman. As a Department of State Rangel Fellow, she will enter the U.S. Foreign Service in 2024. Tatum speaks Albanian and Spanish, as well as some Portuguese, Macedonian, and Catalan. She is a photographer, animal welfare activist, and enjoys folk dancing. |
| Neeraja Kulkarni is a Master of Global Affairs 2023 candidate at The Fletcher School, focusing on Environmental Policy and International Development. Prior to joining Fletcher, Neeraja extensively worked in the development sector in India. She worked as a researcher in Sikkim, India, having published a research paper about understanding organic farming systems in Sikkim. Later, Neeraja worked as a researcher in an energy provisioning NGO, SELCO Foundation, where she focused on renewable agri-solutions for poverty alleviation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with Quicksand (a design consultancy) on a number of projects, including creating a community-sensitization tool for medical practitioners to use while conducting biomedical HIV clinical trials with underserved transgender communities. She speaks Hindi, Marathi, and English. |
| Rupam Kumari is a Master's student in International Business at The Fletcher School, Tufts University. She has extensive experience in financial inclusion, digital transformation, and public policy, having managed projects in India and Sierra Leone. Her work has focused on improving digital financial services, empowering women, and conducting market analysis. At Fletcher, she is further enhancing her skills and contributing to studies on global digital trends. Rupam is dedicated to leveraging technology to promote sustainable development and social equity. In her leisure time, she enjoys photography and watching documentaries. |
| Olivia Grimmer is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2026 candidate at The Fletcher School at Tufts University. Her academic focus is on international security, international negotiation, and conflict resolution. Prior to attending Fletcher, she received a Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State University in Political Science, where she developed a deep interest in global affairs. As an undergraduate student, she gained valuable research experience as a Research Assistant at Grand Valley State University and a Richter Scholar at Lake Forest College. Her professional experience since then spans multiple industries, having gained skills in policy analysis, copywriting, content creation, and marketing strategy. Olivia’s specific research interests include foreign policy decision making in the U.S. and Russia, Middle East geopolitics, the applicability of international relations theory in the modern world, and the effectiveness of conflict resolution strategies. In her free time, she enjoys reading, going on hikes, and playing volleyball. |
| Bennett Murray is a candidate for the Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2026, focusing on international security and international business. Prior to joining Fletcher, he was a freelance journalist based in Belgrade. His focus in recent years has been the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a special emphasis on frontline reporting. From 2022-24, Bennett covered the battles of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sieverodonetsk, Avdiivka, Bakhmut and others from the ground. During that time, he embedded with the Ukrainian 28th Mechanized Brigade and 10th Mountain Assault Brigade in Donetsk Oblast. Bennett is also an alum of the Alfa Fellowship Program, having participated in the fellowship’s short-lived final program year in Moscow before the program was suspended at the onset of the full-scale invasion. He is also an alum of the NovaMova language school in Kyiv, where he lived from 2019-2020. Prior to transitioning his career to Eastern Europe, Bennett was the Hanoi bureau chief for the German Press Agency (DPA) from 2016-2019. He was also a reporter for the Phnom Penh Post newspaper in Cambodia from 2013-2015. These days, Bennett lives with his wife Aleksandra and his cats Kosha and Limonka in Malden, MA. |
| Doniyor Mutalov is a MA student in Law and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. Prior to that he completed a BA in International Relations from the Webster University in Tashkent. Last year he was selected as a CTBTO-CENESS Research Fellow. He is part of the Youth Group for Ballistic Missile Non-Proliferation - HCoC. His works mainly focus on disarmament/non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and his research interests are arms control and international law. His native language is Uzbek, and he is fluent in Russian and English and mastering French. |
| Rosalinde Nebiolo is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy candidate 2025. Her focus is on Global Governance and International Law. She holds an BA honors degree in International Security and International Relations from Duquesne University. Previous experience includes being a Teaching Assistant at Tufts undergrad in the Political Science department. She has also been an intern with the Hudson Institute with a focus on European security topics. She has also published nonpartisan briefs on US foreign policy with Alliance for Citizen Engagement. They covered topics such as military aid to Ukraine, and NATO peacekeeping in Kosovo. Her research interests include NATO peacekeeping, Russian foreign policy, Middle East geopolitics, and conflict prevention among post-Soviet states. Rosalinde volunteers as a part of Fletcher’s student-led European Conference, which focuses on the global role for European diplomacy. She is currently learning French and Arabic. When not working, she enjoys crocheting, museums, and exploring new places. |
| Ryland Pitts was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but he spent the next 17 years in Eastern Europe (Belarus and Hungary). He earned a BA from Davidson College in political Science and Russian studies. His honors thesis examined Russian state-controlled media influence in Belarus. Since graduating, Ryland has taught English in Central Asia, most recently as a Fulbright ETA in Qarshi, Uzbekistan. Additional experiences include a State Department internship working on the Magnitsky sanctions, a research assistantship surveying corruption across the regions of Russia with Transparency International Russia, and a role in leading an NSA-funded Russian language program at UGA. Ryland also occasionally volunteers with a global parachurch organization to mentor kids from all over the world through difficult transitions. Past locations include Costa Rica, Spain, Hungary, Ukraine, and Turkey. Ryland is a MALD candidate at Fletcher studying international security and Russia and Eurasian regional studies. As a Pickering Fellow, he hopes to work as a political officer in the Foreign Service. In his free time, Ryland enjoys hiking, playing jazz piano and banjo, and whitewater kayaking.
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| Chaanakya Seethala is pursuing a master's degree in international business from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, after completing a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science. He's now into International Business. With a specific focus on technology policy, negotiations, and strategic consulting, Chaan is dedicated to utilizing his expertise to navigate the intricate intersection of global business and technology. Before beginning his MIB, he had two years of experience as a software development engineer. Beyond academics and professional life, his interests span far and wide; he's an avid lover of history, society, and photography, often capturing moments that blend his love for nature, travel, and animals. Whether exploring the intricacies of an old city or diving deep into new cultures, he views the world as an endless source of inspiration and knowledge. |
| Nayan Seth is a Master in Global Affairs 2024 candidate at The Fletcher School, focusing on Comparative and Regional studies as well as International Negotiation and International Security. His areas of expertise are in Indian foreign policy, diplomacy in the strategic triangle of U.S.-India-China, authoritarianism in South Asia and Great Power Rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region. Before joining The Fletcher School, Nayan worked as a multimedia journalist for over 15 years in major news networks in India and China. As a News Editor at CNN-News18, Nayan managed the newsroom operations and produced primetime news shows. Over the years, he has reported on major international stories like the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on developing countries, the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, India’s general elections in 2019 and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Nayan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (Honors) and majored in Russian history from Hindu College, University of Delhi. Nayan has language proficiency in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. He is an intermediate-level Chinese speaker. |
| Sitara Srinivas is a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy 2025 candidate at The Fletcher School. Previously, she gained experience in the think tank sector in India, initially working in the president's office and later serving as a Junior Fellow in Strategic Studies at the Observer Research Foundation. Before this, Sitara managed digital media and outreach for the Social and Political Research Foundation. Her work has been published in various outlets, including Vogue India. Sitara holds a BA Honours degree in Political Science and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Conflict Transformation and Peace-Building from the University of Delhi. She is proficient in both English and Hindi and has aspirations to learn additional languages in the near future. |
| Chloe Waldrep is a first year Master of Law and Diplomacy student coming from Portland, Maine. Her research interests include international intelligence communities and security, as well as the rise of right-wing populism in post-Soviet states. She graduated from Lafayette College in 2022 with a BA in International Affairs. During her undergraduate career, Chloe worked as an intern with EducationUSA of the U.S. Department of State as well as a research assistant for the Russia and Eastern European studies department of Lafayette College. She is a long-time French speaker and has been studying the Russian language for the past five years. In 2022, Chloe was chosen as an alternate for the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship for Russian language. When not pursuing her academic and research interests, Chloe is an avid skier and backpacker. This past year she solo backpacked through Thailand for 4 weeks as well as parts of Australia. |
| Natasha Wood is a MALD candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and focuses on European security. She served in the House of Representatives as a legislative staffer for four years, most recently for Congressman Jim Costa managing the Transatlantic Legislators’ Dialogue and Europe Subcommittee portfolios. She is a Baltic Security Foundation Visiting Fellow, Atlantic Council Congressional Fellow, and Wilson Center Congressional Fellow. Natasha’s research considers US perceptions of Baltic Security and lessons for the Baltic Sea Region resulting from the war in Ukraine. Natasha graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed half her bachelor’s at the University of St. Andrews. She is British-American and speaks Spanish, intermediate French and Italian, and beginner Russian. |