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Five graduate students from the Harvard Kennedy School were selected as the second class of Topol Research Fellows at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. Under the guidance of Professor Erica Chenoweth, a leading scholar in alternative solutions to political conflict, the Topol Fellows will dedicate the next academic semester to researching nonviolent resistance movements. 

The Fellowship entails funding to gather data for the Carr Center’s Nonviolent Action Lab, participating in monthly discussion groups, and a research summit where Fellows will present their findings to the broader Harvard community. 

This is the second year the program has lived at the Carr Center. “Erica’s leadership is one of the defining factors that has made this program so successful,” Faculty Director Mathias Risse states, “We are also grateful for the generous support of Sidney Topol and the Topol Foundation, who continue to make this Fellowship possible.”

Sidney Topol is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, peace activist, and serves on the Advisory Board at the Carr Center. “Harvard brings together a unique group of voices.” Mr. Topol writes, “I am in awe of the cutting edge work the students continue to do, and am honored to be able to contribute.”

Aniko Bakonyi, former Senior Program Officer of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Enrique Gasteazoro, former General Manager of Confidencial, Morgan Pratt, former Assistant Language Teacher of JET Programme, Niku Jafarnia, former Consultant and Research of Center for Civilians in Conflict, and Inayat Sabhikhi, former Senior Consultant of Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, comprise the 2020 Topol Research Fellows.

“Each of this year’s Topol Fellows has compelling experience and enduring interest in nonviolent resistance,” Erica Chenoweth writes,  “I am excited to convene conversations with these fellows, to exchange ideas, and to discuss solutions to challenges that many societies are facing with regard to authoritarian reversion right now.”