From Classroom to Global Stage: Northeastern Students Present Research at Leading United Nations Conference
“One of our goals is to ensure that students are not simply learning about global governance in the classroom but that they engage in shaping it,” says Policy School Director Maria Ivanova. “Bringing together undergraduate, master’s, and PhD students from different colleges to conduct original research and present it internationally demonstrates what interdisciplinary, experiential education looks like at Northeastern. These students are already contributing to important global conversations on the future of international environmental governance.”
Six Northeastern University students traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, this summer to participate in the annual meeting of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), the leading international scholarly association dedicated to research and education on the United Nations and global governance.
The delegation represented a milestone for Northeastern by engaging a multigenerational, interdisciplinary research team comprising one undergraduate, two master’s, and three PhD students led by Professor Maria Ivanova, Director of Northeastern’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and co-director of The Plastics Center. Ivanova co-chaired the 2025 ACUNS annual meeting in Nairobi, Kenya along with Professor Alice Odingo of the University of Nairobi.
The student delegation included PhD students Rong Bao, Olga Skaredina, and Nicole Vandale; master’s students Wyatt Mattaway and Sophia McMonagle; and undergraduate student Maya Krattli. While most are affiliated with the Policy School, Nicole Vandale and Maya Krattli are students in Northeastern’s College of Science, underscoring the university’s commitment to interdisciplinary research that bridges colleges and academic programs.
At the conference, students presented original research, participated in scholarly discussions, and engaged with leading academics, United Nations officials, and policy practitioners from around the world. One of the highlights of Northeastern’s participation was a student-organized panel showcasing research from the Global Environmental Governance Project (www.environmentalgovernance.org). The panel examined the implementation and effectiveness of international environmental agreements using the Environmental Conventions Index (ECI), an innovative research platform developed at Northeastern that systematically evaluates the ratification, implementation, and impact of multilateral environmental agreements. The ECI is available at https://eci.environmentalgovernance.org/.
The students’ research explored the full life cycle of four landmark environmental agreements—from negotiation and ratification to implementation and measurable impact—addressing one of the central questions in global environmental governance: Do international agreements produce meaningful change? The findings also offer valuable insights for the design of future agreements, including the ongoing negotiations for a global plastics treaty.
The panel’s discussant was Stefan Tschauko, instructor at Columbia University specializing in United Nations communications, whose feedback will help inform the next stage of the team’s research. For the students, the conference offered an opportunity to present their work as well as to join an international community of scholars and practitioners working at the forefront of global governance.
For the students, the conference offered an opportunity to present their work as well as to join an international community of scholars and practitioners working at the forefront of global governance.
“I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about research being done on similar topics to mine,” said Wyatt Mattaway, “and the way that all of our work related to each other and created an environment for fruitful discussion.”
“It was a privilege to attend the ACUNS annual meeting and present my research to international audiences,” said Sophia McMonagle. “The conference exposed me to an international policy community that I will stay connected with for years to come.”
“Last year, I supported the conference’s virtual Youth Track, helping create a space for early-career scholars and practitioners,” said Olga Skaredina. “This year, I returned to present my own doctoral research. As someone committed to engaged scholarship, ACUNS offers a unique community where researchers and practitioners exchange ideas, challenge one another’s thinking, and connect scholarship with practice.”