Justin Casey and Qi Zhang
External Fellowships
Graduate Fellowships and Awards

Two Georgetown Graduate Students Awarded World Politics and Statecraft Fellowships

Two doctoral candidates in the Department of Government at Georgetown, Qi Zhang and Justin Casey, were recently awarded World Politics and Statecraft Fellowships from the Smith Richardson Foundation.

Qi Zhang

Qi Zhang’s dissertation examines how banks manage their exposure to financial sanctions and secondary sanctions and what determines their choice of strategies. The fellowship will enable him to hire a research assistant, travel to conduct field interviews, and complete his research. “The World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship supports research on statecraft with policy implications; that is exactly the type of research that my dissertation focuses on,” Qi said.

Qi said he used the Pivot database to search for funding opportunities. When asked how he hopes that the award will impact his academic studies and future career plans, he responded, “It’s a seal of approval to my dissertation research. Knowing that people appreciate my research is very encouraging.”

Justin Casey

Justin Casey’s academic focus is on international security and great power politics. His dissertation looks at subversive statecraft. “My own goals and aims, to contribute to ongoing foreign policy debates, aligned with those of The Smith Richardson Foundation. I want to make sure that my dissertation addresses the current danger that subversion poses while offering some guidance for the decades ahead.”

During the application process, Justin said he benefited from reaching out to colleagues at Georgetown and beyond as several were willing to share their own applications and proposed budgets. “I also had a clear idea of what archival materials I wanted to review and was specific about these collections in the application.” This grant will fund Justin’s archival research in the US and UK.

Congratulations to Qi and Justin!