Research

International Relations majors have many opportunities to conduct original academic and policy research. Students can do individual research or collaborative research with an INRL faculty member.

Majors can conduct individual research through the Honors program or an independent study. William & Mary has financial resources available to students engaged in solo research.

Faculty affiliates are also engaged in research projects with undergraduate students. This collaborative research often results in publication. The Global Research Institute and the Social Science Research Methods Center provide opportunities for collaborative research. Information about specific initiatives is below.

AidData is a research lab that equips policymakers and practitioners with better evidence to improve how sustainable development investments are targeted, monitored, and evaluated.
American Bosnian Collaboration (ABC) prepares student volunteers to work in the post-war communities in and around Sarajevo to teach English, cross-cultural understanding, and non-violent communication.
Blockchain Lab offers student research assistants the opportunity to be paired with faculty and research topics, including supply chain, trade policy, and data rights on blockchains.
Center for African Development (CAD) is a research center where faculty and students collaborate on cutting-edge projects that address some of the biggest development challenges facing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including the impact of the mobile phone revolution and the causes of armed conflict.
Ignite is a multidisciplinary research lab, in collaboration with the Department of Health Sciences, that examines the allocation of global public health resources within the context of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.
International Justice Lab (IJL) brings together faculty and students from across the United States to conduct collaborative research on human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts.
National Security Archive student researchers investigate declassified State Department, CIA, FBI, and foreign government documents to understand further the effects of the Cold War in Latin America. Students also work to contribute to research projects on issues of justice, memory, and history in Latin America and the United States.
NukeLab is an undergraduate research lab that applies cutting-edge social science theory and methods to pressing policy questions in nuclear security, proliferation, and deterrence.
Political Psychology and International Relations (PPIR) lab uses psychological approaches, both social and neuroscientific, to address the security, economic, and environmental challenges that arise from global interconnectedness.
Project on International Peace and Security (PIPS) research fellows identify an emerging international security challenge and develop original policy recommendations.
Systematic Text Analysis for International Relations (STAIR) is a collaborative research group that uses text mining and machine learning tools to analyze and address political issues, with a particular focus on international relations.
Teaching, Research and International Politics Project (TRIP) explores the links between teaching, research, and policy in the field of international relations and aims to bridge the gap between the study and practice of international relations.