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In the News

September 16, 2021

IIE-SRF Alliance advisors & staff on understanding & meeting the challenges of displaced scientists in the 21st century

Science & Diplomacy
By IIE-SRF staff and IIE-SRF Alliance advisors

In a new article published in Science & Diplomacy, IIE-SRF Senior Advisor Olga Gregorian and IIE-SRF Alliance advisors Michael Martin, Florence Chaverneff, and Sloka Iyengar write on the need for an organized response from the scientific community to help address the unique and profound challenges faced by threatened and displaced scholars. “Providing aid to displaced scientists,” they write, “serves two aspirations of science diplomacy, as it allows the preservation of scientific capacity and supports the human rights of individual scientists.” Throughout the article, the authors trace the history of initiatives supporting endangered professors and researchers and further outline the efforts and impacts of modern-day programs including IIE-SRF and our partners. They also recommend a series of best practices that can be implemented by scientific and academic communities worldwide.

September 7, 2021

US: IIE boosts Afghan and Haitian support

The PIE News
By Viggo Stacey

The PIE News shares how IIE’s Scholar Rescue Fund, Emergency Student Fund, and Artist Protection Fund are supporting scholars and students that have been impacted by the ongoing crises in Afghanistan and Haiti.

August 23, 2021

Flight From Afghanistan

Inside Higher Ed
By Elizabeth Redden

IIE President and CEO, Allan Goodman, spoke with Inside Higher Ed to discuss IIE’s ongoing efforts to support Afghan scholars and students.

June 29, 2021

UNESCO-TWAS / IsDB program for displaced scientists selects eight IIE-SRF scholars from Syria and Yemen

The World Academy of Sciences

IIE-SRF and UNESCO-The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) are delighted to announce that eight IIE-SRF scholars from Syria and Yemen have been selected for the TWAS-Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Young Refugee and Displaced Scientists Programme! These academics, whose fields of study span the STEM disciplines, will join the TWAS Young Affiliates Network (TYAN), which comprises outstanding young scientific researchers from developing countries. TYAN facilitates participation in TWAS meetings and conferences and offers access to competitive opportunities, including grants and awards. The Young Refugee and Displaced Scientists Programme was developed by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in consultation with IIE-SRF in order to help address the unique and substantial challenges faced by scholars displaced from their home countries.

“Throughout the past few years, IIE-SRF has collaborated with TWAS to raise awareness of the large number of threatened and displaced scientists globally and to help these scholars gain access to the networks they need to reestablish their careers and resume their important work,” says IIE-SRF Director James Robin King. “We are thrilled to continue our ongoing partnership with UNESCO-TWAS and IsDB on the Refugee and Displaced Scientists Programme, which provides select IIE-SRF scholars with critical opportunities that are difficult, often impossible, to access for scientists who have been forced to relocate and navigate new academic environments.”

In a recent article, two of the IIE-SRF scholars selected for the Young Refugee and Displaced Scientists Programme – Dr. Nada Abdulwali of Yemen and Dr. Hasan Aljabbouli of Syria – spoke with TWAS about the challenges threatened academics face amidst conflict and when integrating into a new academic systems abroad. They also discussed the ways in which programs like IIE-SRF and TWAS Young Affiliates can help displaced scientists gain access to new resources and networks while also providing opportunities to collaborate on key issues, support other academics in need, and strategize on the rebuilding of higher education systems and infrastructure in their home countries. “At IsDB-TWAS workshops, we [have] met with several scholars from different countries and exchanged ideas and points of view,” says Dr. Abdulwali, a woman scholar of physical chemistry currently undertaking an IIE-SRF fellowship appointment at the University of Guelph in Canada. “This programme allows members to discuss the strategy to help scientists who remain at risk.” Dr. Aljabbouli, a computer scientist who undertook IIE-SRF fellowships at New Jersey City University in the U.S. and now holds a position at New York University, considers how the program can serve as a springboard for new endeavors. “I am filled with hope that I will be able to exchange knowledge with others, contribute more to the community, and help rebuild my destroyed country in the future,” he says.

May 13, 2021

The Long-Term Outlook for Displaced Scholars

Inside Higher Education
By Elizabeth Redden

Inside Higher Education’s article on May 13, 2021 explores the IIE-SRF alumni impact study.

May 8, 2021

‘Continued urgent need’ to support displaced academics

Times Higher Education
By Matthew Reisz

The Times Higher Education’s article on May 8, 2021 showcases the IIE-SRF alumni impact study as well as the stories of IIE-SRF alumni who have enriched both their host and home communities.