Visiting science-policy fellowships
UN bodies in Geneva need scientific expertise to follow emerging and fast-evolving technologies and their impact on society. At the same time, researchers from the Global South remain under-represented in science-policy discussions at the multilateral level, which skews attention towards issues that matter most in the Global North.
Embedding researchers directly within UN bodies is one way to close these gaps. In 2026 and 2027, the Geneva Science-Policy Interface (GSPI) and the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research (UNU-CPR) do so by hosting two Visiting Science-Policy Fellows from the Global South to support timely multilateral discussions and processes taking place in specific UN bodies in Geneva.
Launched in August 2026, the programme responds to knowledge needs of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), whose secretariat is hosted by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), supported by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). It selects experts from the Global South and curates a research process embedded in UN policy work, which gives the UN partners tailored information for their work, brings Global South expertise and perspectives into these processes and offers fellows experience in international policy engagement within a UN organisation.
Our approach
- Identifying research gaps: Scoping of science-policy research gaps on pressing multilateral challenges where Geneva’s ecosystem adds particular value
- Selecting fellows: An open-call selection of fellows for research excellence, thematic expertise, collaborative approach and Global South perspective
- Mentoring and co-design: Supporting fellows in science-policy practice and strategy, including stakeholder analysis and engagement, curating consultation and expert workshops, writing policy briefs and framing recommendations for policymakers
- Fostering dialogue: Organising mid-term and final multistakeholder workshops as part of each fellowship to present and refine research approach and findings while engaging with Geneva’s broader science-policy community in the process
- Facilitating policy connections: Coordinating with UNU-CPR, relevant UN entities and Geneva-based stakeholders to connect fellows with policy processes, facilitate engagement with key actors, including through targeted briefings and presentations, and ensure their research responds to ongoing discussions and needs
Fellowships
Data governance for development (CSTD)
Focus
The CSTD's 30th session, taking place in November 2026, addresses the priority theme 'Data Governance for Development: From Asymmetry to Equitable Stewardship'. This fellowship examines how inequalities in data infrastructure, ownership and governance capacity are creating new global disparities, with disproportionate effects on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Fellowship’s objectives
The aim of the fellowship is to identify how fair and interoperable data governance can reduce these inequalities, supporting the CSTD Secretariat's issues note for the November 2026 intersessional process. The tailored report will also include an assessment of how existing UN data governance initiatives contribute to the Global Digital Compact. The fellow will also brief relevant Geneva-based actors on the findings of this research.
Bio
Morshed Mannan is a Lecturer in Global Law and Digital Technology at Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, and co-author of Blockchain Governance (MIT Press). His research focuses on democratic community-led governance in the digital economy, including platform cooperatives, data cooperatives and decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs).
Mannan previously held a postdoctoral fellowship at the European University Institute and has advised organisations including the International Cooperative Alliance, the Scottish Parliament, the European Commission and UNIDROIT. Before moving into academia, he worked as a lawyer in Bangladesh. He holds a PhD in Law from Leiden University and an LLB from the University of Warwick, and is qualified to practise in Bangladesh and England and Wales.
Events
A first workshop will take place on 3 November 2026, location to be confirmed.
Emerging technologies and verification (BWC)
Focus
The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons. States parties are currently discussing measures to strengthen the Convention, including possible mechanisms on science and technology, international cooperation and a future approach to compliance and verification, as advances in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, advanced sensing and distributed systems reshape both the biological risk landscape and the technical possibilities for monitoring relevant activities.
Fellowship’s objectives
The aim of the fellowship is to assess how these emerging technologies can support more effective and future-ready verification under the Convention, informing discussions within the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Convention. The fellow will also brief the broader disarmament community in Geneva on the potential and limitations of these technologies.
Bio
P.T. Nhean is the Director of Biosecurity at AI Safety Asia (AISA), a regional AI governance organisation, where she leads biosecurity work across research, convening and capacity building, including a landscaping study on AI for engineering biology conducted with the UK government across Thailand, the Philippines, India and the UK, and Asia’s first AI-bio roundtable series.
Earlier in her career, Nhean developed an agent-based model for seasonal influenza in tropical climates, co-founded Southeast Asia Biosecurity (SEA Bio) and was selected for UNODA's biosecurity fellowship cohort in 2025. Her work bridges epidemiological research with regional efforts to strengthen biosafety, biosecurity and preparedness against emerging biological and AI-enabled threats.
Events
A workshop is planned for November 2026, date and location to be confirmed.