Press Release: RIPIL Welcomes Three New Global Impact Fellows on 6th Anniversary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 7, 2026
WASHINGTON—The Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL) at American University’s School of International Service (SIS) is proud to announce the arrival of three Senior Fellows: Mike Jobbins, Carrie Gruenloh, and Andrea Freeman.
Their arrival coincides with a major institutional milestone: the sixth anniversary of RIPIL’s founding. During the last six years, RIPIL has pioneered the collaborative production of timely, rigorous research with policymakers and practitioners to generate real-world impact. RIPIL has carried out numerous large research projects on pressing topics in international peace, security, development, and humanitarian response and investigated the engagement methods that foster research use. In that time, RIPIL has worked with dozens of international researchers and employed more than 60 students as research assistants.
Supported by major grants from the US National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the United States Institute of Peace, Humanity United, and the United Nations, RIPIL has established itself as an essential bridge between practice and academic inquiry. Through flagship initiatives like the Networks of Influence and Support dataset, RIPIL translates rigorously collected data on aid actors in conflict-affected countries into real-time, actionable tools for policymakers and practitioners, including by building intentional partnerships with researchers and end-users of the research.
This new global impact fellowship program brings top practitioners directly into RIPIL and the wider American University research ecosystem to continue RIPIL’s mission of linking research, policy, and practice.
Bridging Theory and Practice in an Era of Global Crisis
The appointment of these three Senior Fellows reinforces RIPIL’s core mission at a pivotal moment. International norms and practices are being tested and upended by escalating global conflict, a changing international order, ecological and economic shifts, and accelerating technological change. To address these challenges, we need new evidence-driven policies and practices. RIPIL’s mission of translating rigorous scholarly research into real-world impact is more relevant than ever.
RIPIL’s Senior Fellows will work alongside university faculty and students to investigate why international interventions aimed at addressing these challenges have succeeded or failed and to craft and propose new solutions in this fast-changing context.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike, Carrie, and Andrea to the RIPIL community as we mark six years of impactful research,” says RIPIL Director Susanna Campbell. “In our current global climate, academic scholarship must not sit on a shelf; it must be stress-tested by the realities of practice. By embedding these practitioners within our research initiatives, we are ensuring that RIPIL’s output directly contributes to more effective, humane, and sustainable international policy implementation.”
Below, we describe the research and practice areas that each fellow will pursue.
Research Focus and Perspectives from the Incoming Fellows
Mike Jobbins | Global Impact Fellow | Emerging Trends in Peace Processes
Research: Jobbins will examine evolving trends in US and international peace initiatives. He will focus on multistakeholder efforts in the context of rising demands for minerals, changing energy dynamics, and the management of ecologically sensitive areas. Linking public, private, and civil society actors, his work will provide scholars, students, and policymakers with adaptive strategies in a changing geoeconomic landscape.
“Geoeconomic competition over critical minerals and changing energy dynamics are reshaping conflict—from local dynamics to international interventions. This fellowship with RIPIL comes at a critical moment to re-evaluate how public, private, and civil society actors can better collaborate in a changing landscape. It is a unique moment for students, scholars, and policymakers to craft new realistic, adaptive strategies to support peace, manage natural resources, and support human dignity, prosperity, and development.”
— Mike Jobbins, Senior Fellow
Carrie Gruenloh | Global Impact Fellow | AI, Agency, and the Future of Peace Assistance
Research: Gruenloh will analyze emerging trends and structural shifts in the global peacebuilding and conflict management ecosystem. Drawing on more than two decades of foreign assistance and field implementation experience, her research plan focuses on three core themes: the role and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in conflict prevention and peacebuilding and considerations for mitigating AI-related “Do No Harm” risks; frameworks and practical guidance for supporting civilian self-protection and locally-led peacebuilding; and the future of conflict management as the post-WWII international order rapidly evolves. Through key informant discussions, policy writing, and targeted workshops, Gruenloh will translate complex field data into practical, accessible guidance for both scholars and practitioners.
“The post-WWII international peace architecture is rapidly shifting, and traditional foreign assistance frameworks are collapsing. This fellowship with RIPIL provides an important space to step back from the demands of field implementation and reflect on what a truly localized, modern peacebuilding architecture looks like. I am particularly interested in exploring the dual-edged sword of emerging technologies—looking at how we can responsibly harness AI to advance conflict management while rigorously mitigating its risks. By partnering with colleagues at the lab, my goal is to translate these real-world observations into practical, written resources that help donors and scholars adapt to a rapidly changing global ecosystem.”
— Carrie Gruenloh, Senior Fellow
Andrea K. Freeman | Global Impact Fellow | Innovating Civilian Self-Protection
Freeman will investigate civilian self-protection (CSP) dynamics in areas of active conflict, using the war in Sudan as her core case study. Synthesizing more than two decades of field leadership and US foreign policy experience, her project analyzes how rigid international aid delivery systems can inadvertently support or obstruct localized, community-driven safety structures, such as Sudan’s volunteer-managed Emergency Response Rooms. Through joint policy formulation, interactive workshops, and direct practitioner engagement, she aims to provide donors and implementing agencies with practical, evidence-based guidance on how to support grassroots civilian resilience without undermining the flexibility and community roots that make it effective.
“The catastrophic conflict in Sudan vividly demonstrates the parallel collapse of established global protection mechanisms. Nevertheless, out of these systemic breakdowns emerges extraordinary community-driven endurance, exemplified by volunteer-led Emergency Response Rooms delivering frontline aid and security. This residency at RIPIL offers a crucial space to transition from operational demands and interrogate a pivotal challenge: how the broader humanitarian architecture can fortify grassroots initiatives instead of stifling them through bureaucratic hurdles and rigid compliance protocols. My objective is to distill these operational insights into actionable frameworks that enable international funders and practitioners to bolster localized civilian self-protection strategies.”
— Andrea K. Freeman, Senior Fellow
About RIPIL: The Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL), based at American University’s School of International Service, conducts timely, rigorous research in collaboration with policymakers and practitioners to generate real-world impact. Learn more about our team, active research projects, and partnership and sponsorship opportunities at www.ripilab.com.
For media inquiries, institutional partnerships, or to connect with the fellows, please contact the RIPIL team at ripil@american.edu.
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