GRI Students Collect Prestigious Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards

The Global Research Institute is marking the end of the 2025-2026 academic year by celebrating some of the GRI  students who received prestigious scholarships, fellowships, grants, and awards. 

Through GRI programming—from doing applied research with faculty through labs or the GRI Summer Fellows program, to studying as Global Scholars or working on student research initiatives—these students learned skills that they will carry to international universities, think tanks, and the public sector. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work and passion for their subject areas.

Kate Carline, Kanders Churchill Scholarship

The Geopolitics of Technology Initiative’s Kate Carline was awarded the Kanders Churchill Scholarship. The scholarship will allow her to study at the Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. 

The scholarship is awarded to just two students annually who have shown dedication to the interdisciplinary study of both STEM and public policy. Carline’s involvement with GRI and Yale University’s Geopolitics of Technology Initiative brings these two fields together.

The GeoTech Initiative, which Carline directed, is a student-run think tank studying how cutting edge technology is impacting Great Power competition. “GRI is unique for its willingness to invest in undergraduates and trust them with ambitious projects,” she said. “GeoTech itself began as a student idea, and that spirit of empowering students to take ownership of research and innovation has been an incredible catalyst.” 

The project is being integrated into the work of the Robert M. Gates Initiative in American Statecraft, directed by Eric Brown and Ryan Musto. Recent research has included exploring the legal and governmental ramifications of the growth of AI. 

Carline’s research-oriented experience at William & Mary will follow her through her time at Cambridge. As a Churchill scholar, she will also be eligible to receive a $4,000 research grant to further explore the intersection of technology and governance.

Adelia Purcell, Harry S. Truman Scholarship

Global Scholar Adelia Purcell becomes the 13th William & Mary student to be awarded the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

The scholarship provides $30,000 for graduate studies to undergraduate juniors dedicated to public service. Students who are selected for the award attend a summer institute upon undergraduate graduation to build professional skills and commit to a minimum of three years of public service after completion of a graduate degree. 

Purcell has explored paths in public service through GRI opportunities, including the Global Scholars Program—a partnership between GRI, the W&M Washington Center, the Reves Center, and the Public Policy program—and Digital Inclusion and Governance Lab, led by Phil Roessler. These experiences helped shape her professional trajectory. “From my incredibly formative year in the Global Scholars Program and involvement in research, to the steadfast community that has made my time at W&M what it is, I would not be who I am without it,” she said of GRI. She hopes to use her time in public service to advocate for human rights.

Lena Bullard, James C. Gaither Junior Fellowship

Drawing on her international experiences, Lena Bullard was awarded one of fifteen James C. Gaither Junior Fellowships offered by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading international affairs think tank located in Washington, D.C. The fellowship gives graduating seniors the opportunity to study a specific area related to international politics. 

Bullard becomes the fifth student involved with the Project on International Peace and Security—directed by Dennis Smith and now housed under the Gates Initiative—to be awarded a fellowship spot. She was also a GRI Summer Fellow in D.C., where she worked for Amnesty International,and was involved with the International Justice Lab, directed by Kelebogile Zvobgo.  While working with Dr. Z on the IJL project, she became passionate about international justice in West Africa.

Bullard brings this passion to the CEIP’s Africa program as a senior scholar, where she will continue her work studying the region. “I am excited to bring all that I've learned through the GRI to the policy arena as I begin this new chapter as a James C. Gaither Junior Fellow,” Bullard said. “Having grown up in West Africa and done extensive research on sub-Saharan Africa, I can't wait to expand my knowledge of the region and deepen my existing connections to the continent through this opportunity.” 

Aditi Mishra, Fulbright Award

Former Global Scholar Aditi Mishra received a Fulbright Award upon her graduation from William & Mary this spring. 

Recipients of this award are given a stipend to conduct research abroad for an academic year. The goal of the prestigious program is to promote academic and cultural exchange between the United States and the host nation. Mishra will conduct research at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.  

Mishra's time at GRI began when she joined the 2025-2026 Global Policy Cohort of the Global Scholars Program. “I had some of the most impactful experiences of my time at W&M,” she said of the program. “The site visits and conversations the program fosters pushed me to grow in ways I didn't expect.”

She’d previously received GRI Professional Development Awards to study in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. There, she learned about the growing medical tourism sector. 

While in India, she will examine historical and current public health infrastructure in the National Capital Region. Her work will encompass various urban health challenges including air quality, access to vaccines, child health, and nutrition—interests she cultivated while involved with GRI.

Elisabeth Nielsen, Fulbright Award

Elisabeth Nielsen’s Fulbright Award will take her to Austria, where she plans to teach English in a small town outside of Innsbruck. She credits her previous travels for inspiring her to continue her professional journey abroad.

At GRI, Nielsen was a member of the Global Scholars Program and studied international organizations in Paris and Brussels. She then expanded her European travels to the NATO Youth Summit in Montenegro, to a conference in Portugal, and plans to conduct research in Finland this winter. 

Nielsen said GRI provided eye-opening international opportunities. "A lot of my curiosity about the world comes from traveling, and I see traveling as not only a great way to learn about how the world works, and how policy can and does impact people, but it is also a great way to learn about oneself,” she said.

Rameen Sajjad, Fulbright Award

Former Global Scholar Rameen Sajjad will travel to Indonesia to teach English on a Fulbright Award. She first visited the country as a Freeman Fellow, supported by the Reves Center for International Studies. "I fell in love with the richness of the Indonesian culture and the hospitality I encountered everywhere I went," Sajjad said. "Returning through Fulbright felt like a natural next step." 

Her time at GRI—and particulalry her experiences in the Global Scholars program—was crucial to shaping her choice to return abroad. "Through GRI, I had the chance to observe international diplomacy firsthand in Europe and meet diplomats whose work sparked my interest in becoming a cultural ambassador myself," she said. 

"As a first-generation college student, GRI introduced me to people and ways of thinking I never would have encountered otherwise," Sajjad added. "The exposure to people and ideas I gained through GRI shaped the path I am on today."