LSE and Georgetown University award five research projects through inaugural seed fund

LSE and Georgetown University announced the first recipients of the LSE–Georgetown University Research Seed Fund, marking a significant milestone in the institutions’ academic collaboration.

Launched in March 2025, the Seed Fund is designed to promote high-impact, interdisciplinary research collaborations led jointly by faculty from LSE and Georgetown. The initiative supports scholars working together to develop transformative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The inaugural call attracted 16 high-quality proposals, spanning three critical thematic areas: political economy, sustainability, and health.

Following a competitive review process, five projects have been selected for funding, each receiving up to £20,000 (approximately $25,800) with equal contributions from both universities.

Awarded Projects

Political Economy

• The Fallout of U.S. Aid Withdrawal: Impacts on Governance and Social Service Delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa
  Jennifer L. Tobin, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University
  Ryan Jablonski, Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Government, LSE
• The Political Economy of Public Service Digitalization
  Irfan Nooruddin, the Hamad bin Khalifa Professor of Indian Politics at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
  Pavithra Suryanarayan, Associate Professor, Department of Government, LSE
  Aliz Toth, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Department of Government, LSE
  Bhumi Purohit, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University

Sustainability

• Compensation and Public Support for the Energy Transition
  Erik Voeten, the Peter F. Krogh Professor of Geopolitics and Justice in World Affairs at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University
  Stephanie Rickard, Professor of Political Economy, Department of Government, LSE
  Sarah Brooks (Ohio State University)
• Measuring and Reducing Real-Time Air Pollution Exposure and Inequalities: Evidence from a Field Experiment in London
  Arik Levinson, Professor of Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences at Georgetown University
  Sefi Roth, Associate Professor of Environmental Economics, Department of Geography and Environment, LSE
  Lutz Sager, Assistant Professor at ESSEC Business School at Georgetown University, and Visiting Fellow at the LSE Grantham Research Institute

Health

• Quality of Care and Provider Decision-Making in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
  Jishnu Das, Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University
  Mylène Lagarde,Associate Professor of Health Economics, Department of Health Policy, LSE

Professor Susana Mourato, LSE Vice-President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research), commented, “We are thrilled to congratulate the inaugural recipients of the LSE–Georgetown joint research grants. These successful projects will give us fascinating insights into vital areas of research and hopefully deliver lasting impacts.

"Cooperation and collaboration, particularly on an international scale, are critical for us to face up to the numerous challenges in the world today.”

Professor Jeffrey Urbach, the Vice Provost for Research at Georgetown, added, “The selection of this year’s award winners reflects the power of the Georgetown-LSE collaboration to harness the complementary strengths of our two globally respected institutions in advancing innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to some of the world’s most urgent challenges. We were very pleased to see the wide range of compelling collaborative projects proposed for this competition."

This inaugural fund marks the beginning of a collaboration designed to foster academic excellence and drive meaningful change. As two leading academic institutions in their respective countries’ capital cities, LSE and Georgetown are uniquely positioned to produce exceptional research and educational experiences.