Sophia most recently served as a Research Associate for Stimson’s South Asia Program and Managing Editor of the publication South Asian Voices, a platform for analysts and academics from the region to publish rigorous analysis on South Asia’s security, political, and economic affairs. Her role at Stimson was a natural continuation of her position as the South and Central Asia Analyst for the U.S. Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council, in which she served as a security and crisis liaison to the U.S. private sector and developed an interest in U.S. crisis management through her first-hand experiences. As an analyst, she chose to diverge from her earlier research on foreign and domestic terrorist networks (U.S. Department of State, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Chicago Project on Security and Threats) to grow her understanding of the intersection between climate change and economic and political stability. She plans to dedicate a future career of public service to addressing these issues internationally, particularly as they effect Asia. Sophia received a Boren Scholarship (2020-2021) to study Urdu in Lucknow, India, and plans to continue her study of South Asian culture and languages through Princeton and the Princeton SINSI Program.

Teddy studied Economics, Public Policy, and Data Science at the University of Chicago. In that time, he did research on education and housing issues at the Urban Education Institute, the Aspen Institute, and the Paul Douglas Institute. Prior to Princeton SPIA, he worked at Boston Consulting Group where he primarily supported state government clients across topics including public health, public transit, higher education, and inclusive economic development. After graduation, he intends to work directly in government to help the state more effectively redistribute resources and deliver services to people that need them. Teddy grew up in Davis, California, and considers Chicago his second hometown. He spent his pre-SPIA summer recording an album with his band The Front Desk.

Beatrice was born and raised in Bergen County, New Jersey, and graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Economics in February 2021. After graduation, Beatrice worked at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. She first worked as a Research Assistant at AEI’s Survey Center on American Life, designing original survey questionnaires on topics including social networks, family structure, and the relationship between gender and politics. Later, she worked as a Research Associate of Economic Policy Studies, supporting research on applied economics, public economics, and monetary policy. At Princeton SPIA, Beatrice aims to better understand how changing demographic landscapes impact the federal government’s ability to collect data on its residents, and the implications such changes have on the policy landscape.

Maddie has worked across the public and private sectors to address complex global challenges, with a focus on food insecurity and organisational transformation. Born and raised in London, she holds a degree in Economic History from the London School of Economics. She has experience as a Strategy Consultant at Bain & Company, a Business Innovation Consultant with the United Nations World Food Programme, and as a Fellow at the World Economic Forum. At SPIA, she hopes to explore the intersection of food security, conflict, and humanitarian efforts, understanding how multi-lateral institutions can best empower and protect vulnerable communities. 

Mariah was born and raised in Los Angeles, where she graduated with honors from UCLA majoring in political science and environmental science. Her thesis on the impact of oil sector FDI in Ecuador was one of twelve to receive the UCLA Political Science Departmental Honors distinction. Since then, Mariah has worked and interned for various international and research organizations including the Venezuelan refugee response team with USAID, the climate resilience arm of ICF International, and the UCLA Luskin Center climate communications team. Most recently, she worked as a sustainability fellow at a national affordable housing nonprofit. Mariah is a 2024 Rangel Fellow and is currently serving out her summer internship with Representative Barbara Lee (CA-12) as part of her fellowship program.