Research Partners
William & Mary’s Global Research Institute
William & Mary’s Global Research Institute is a multidisciplinary hub that brings together academics, practitioners, and students to conduct applied research on pressing global issues. GRI’s research addresses a wide range of global challenges — including uneven allocation of healthcare resources, the uncertain future of nuclear proliferation, obscure or underreported financial flows, and disparities in access to digital technology.
Since the Institute’s founding in 2008, more than 50 unique external partners have partnered with GRI. Today, more than 60 faculty and staff and over 200 students conduct applied research with project collaborators such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of NY, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the World Bank, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of Defense, and the United Nations, among others.
GRI’s work informs policymakers around the world, establishing a comprehensive evidence base that helps to better understand and navigate complex and current challenges. The Institute also engages deeply with its local campus community at William & Mary, inviting students to work on research projects, train with experts, attend seminars with thought leaders, and travel internationally to conduct fieldwork. Led by Director Mike Tierney these student and faculty teams produce rigorous, policy-relevant research, integrating new perspectives and cutting-edge research to produce research of consequence.
Meet the Research Team Leaders
Michael J. Tierney, Global Research Institute Director
Samantha Custer, Director of Policy Analysis, AidData
AidData a research lab at the Institute, will inform the Gates Forums. To ensure that Forum conferees can develop the most actionable plans possible, AidData’s Director of Policy Analysis, Samantha Custer, will direct a team of researchers and external experts to produce an evidence base on each Forum topic. Custer oversees projects evaluating the influence of development investments and public diplomacy efforts, including work in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Click here to learn more about AidData’s groundbreaking publications.
