Current Students

Mahmud is a career civil servant from Bangladesh with a multidisciplinary background spanning electrical engineering, public administration and social protection. He has served in diverse regional contexts – from coordinating humanitarian and environmental interventions in Cox’s Bazar during the Rohingya crisis, to resolving land disputes and ensuring access to services for marginalized communities in the flood-prone district of Kurigram. Most recently, he worked as the Private Secretary to the Executive Chairman of the National Pension Authority under the Ministry of Finance, where he contributed to pension scheme redesign and international coordination efforts, particularly with the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Mahmud completed his undergraduate studies in electrical and electronic engineering at BUET. After starting his career in civil service, he has helped mentor and motivate countless young engineering graduates from his alma mater to pursue similar paths. Once admitted, he offered them vital guidance to navigate the early years thoughtfully. He is now also inspiring his juniors in civil service to pursue graduate studies in public policy, public affairs, international development, and other relevant fields at prestigious U.S. institutions. This past summer, Mahmud interned with organizations involved in FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations, gaining firsthand insight into the inner workings of a global sporting event. He had the opportunity to visit several host cities and watch a few matches from an organizer’s perspective. After graduating from SPIA, Mahmud plans to serve his country in a policy role and later contribute to global international development efforts through institutions such as UNDP or the World Bank.

Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Hana holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago, where she majored in political science and psychology. Most recently, she worked as a data analyst at the United Nations Development Programme in Sri Lanka and the Office of the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, on initiatives to consolidate and analyze risk indicators to inform strategic and programming priorities on social cohesion and peacebuilding. Understanding and addressing the proliferation of hate speech and misinformation has been a recurrent focus in her professional career to date. At Princeton, Hana plans to build skills relevant to the design and evaluation of evidence-based and contextualized approaches to building sustainable peace. Outside of work and the classroom, she enjoys reading (particularly mysteries), playing board games, singing, and spending time with her cat, Moxie.

Before Princeton, Conway served as a nonpartisan policy analyst in the federal government for seven years. Based in Washington, D.C., he staffed the Social Security Advisory Board, a bipartisan board of political appointees that advises policymakers on the social insurance and means‐tested programs administered by the Social Security Administration. Much of his work focused on reducing administrative burdens in the disability benefit application process. Conway graduated magna cum laude from George Washington University, where his senior thesis, which measured multidimensional poverty in the United States by nativity status, received special honors and earned him a one-year research assistantship with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative at the University of Oxford. In 2022, he was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance. In his free time, Conway enjoys documentaries, Pilates, and hiking, and has served as a volunteer tax preparer. Conway recently completed his work placement as a Summer Policy Fellow at the Leadership Center for Attorney General Studies.

Augusta Reinhart is a 2025 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow and currently serves as a contractor with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, having previously supported the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Her work focuses on cooperative threat reduction, economic statecraft, and regional policy.

She previously managed international education and exchange programs at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, overseeing initiatives centered on leadership development and public diplomacy. She also partnered with the International Rescue Committee and local government officials to design and implement employment initiatives supporting refugee resettlement in rural communities.

Augusta has participated in U.S. delegations to China through the Max S. Baucus Institute and the Johns Hopkins University–Nanjing Center, as well as the MOSAIC program in Taiwan. In 2019, she was selected as a Fulbright Killam Fellow, studying at the Université de Montréal, and later spent a year in Lyon, France.

She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Montana with a Master’s degree in Political Science and dual Bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and French, along with certificates in Migration Studies, Global Leadership, and Pre-Law.

Ivan is originally from Miami Beach, Florida, and most recently called Washington, D.C., home. Before coming to Princeton, he spent over four years as a policy advisor for the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, where he focused on advancing climate resilience and environmental justice for underserved communities. His work prioritized equitable policy solutions for residents of the U.S. territories, including efforts to promote clean energy access and address systemic inequities. Ivan played a key role in advancing the Puerto Rico Status Act, a landmark bill that outlines a decolonization process for Puerto Rico to choose a non-territorial political status. He also helped establish the Department of Energy’s Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund, which supports rooftop solar and battery storage systems for vulnerable communities on the island. Earlier in his career, Ivan served as a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellow, supporting American Red Cross initiatives to improve disaster response for marginalized populations. Ivan holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Comparative Studies from Duke University. At Princeton, he is pursuing a Master in Public Affairs focused on environmental and energy policy. His goal is to help ensure that all communities, regardless of geography or income, have access to a healthy environment and reliable, clean energy. A former competitive figure skater, Ivan is looking forward to practicing his jumps and spins at Princeton’s Hobey Baker Memorial Rink.