Aerial View of Columbia University

Global Research & Impact

Developing frameworks for positive action

From climate and energy to the future of democracy, we are defining issues where we can make the biggest impact — in our interdisciplinary research, in our teaching, and in our impact on policy.

Addressing Five Global Policy Challenges

Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo shares how SIPA is taking on complex, pressing global issues like geopolitical stability; energy and climate policy; technological innovation and its impact on people; how to share prosperity; and preserving democratic governance. 

Ebonya Washington
Professor Ebonya Washington | Photo by Ian DiSalvo
Faculty

“If you could go back and tell the 22-year-old me that I would one day work at a place like SIPA, she would be very happy.”

Economist Ebonya Washington joined the Columbia SIPA faculty after almost two decades at Yale.

Washington specializes in public finance and political economy; her research interests include the interplay of race, gender, and political representation, and her work has appeared in numerous publications.

Amali Tower MIA ’09
Amali Tower MIA ’09 | Photo by Ian DiSalvo
Alumni

Fighting for the Climate Diaspora

Climate Refugees founder Amali Tower MIA ’09 is building expertise on how the greatest threat to human existence is already uprooting human lives.

“It seemed so clear that SIPA was a school where people like me, who are misfits and don’t check a box, could find a place and contribute.”

“I wouldn't have gone into politics if it wasn't for SIPA.”

Karine Jean-Pierre MPA ’03

“I want to help Beijing solve air pollution.”

Yifan Li MPA ’22

“Information operations are designed to erode trust in democratic systems, and to intimidate and silence critical voices.”

Camille François MIA ’13