Research Centers

These research centers and programmatic partners frequently collaborate with GAIA faculty and students. Visit these centers to see the gender and intersectional analysis incorporated work they do.

The Henry J. Leir Institute

The Henry J. Leir Institute (formerly the Institute for Human Security) focuses on the security and protection of individuals and communities while promoting peace and sustainable development.

To achieve this, the Leir Institute catalyzes collaboration between and creates synergies among the fields that place people at the center of concern: conflict resolution, human rights, humanitarian studies, and political and economic development.

Leir’s research, education, training, and policy engagement therefore emphasize the following principles:

  • Protection and promotion of the rights of at-risk populations, particularly women, children, minority groups, and migrants
  • Empowerment of people through dialogue, negotiation/mediation, political participation, and training
  • Promotion of responsible government and institutional practices to better respond to development-, rights- and conflict-related challenges

The Feinstein International Center

The Feinstein International Center is a research and teaching center based at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Feinstein’s mission is to promote the use of evidence and learning in operational and policy responses to protect and strengthen the lives, livelihoods, and dignity of people affected by or at risk of humanitarian crises.

The World Peace Foundation

The World Peace Foundation (WPF) is an operating foundation affiliated solely with Tufts University’s Fletcher School. It provides financial support only for projects that the Foundation has initiated itself.

WPF aims to provide intellectual leadership for peace. The Foundation’s view is that the world needs a debate about world peace, drawing rigorously on evidence and theory.

The Hitachi Center for Technology and International Affairs

The Hitachi Center mission is to sponsor advanced research and instruction, demonstrate intellectual and professional leadership, and encourage and facilitate a global exchange of ideas on the management of innovation and technological change and the advancement of economic and financial integration.

Over the years, the Hitachi Center has helped to promote Fletcher’s mission of teaching, research, and service through its support and promotion of internships, research on important issues of global technology management, international finance, and international economic integration, conferences bringing together scholars and policy-makers, and other educational activities.