Buffett Institute for Global Affairs - Northwestern University

Sera Young in Kenya speaking with local government officials

Research

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Research

From pioneering material science to innovative work on the human past, our faculty are bringing cutting-edge research to bear on critical global and international challenges.

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Education

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Education

Through coursework and research assistantships as well as support for Northwestern’s international students and international service learning experiences, the Buffett Institute prepares students to live in the twenty-first century world.

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Our scholars and students strive to engage in the world. They contribute to public understanding of complex international challenges. They develop knowledge, policies and technologies to improve people’s lives.

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Latest News

The symposium addressed three key questions: What are the geopolitical risks and opportunities associated with AI development? What strategies are being developed to prevent the misuse of AI? How do regulation strategies and frameworks attempt to build guardrails around AI to protect citizens, promote responsible and ethical AI development, and shape the future of AI in a way that benefits humanity?

Navigating the Geopolitical Stakes of Artificial Intelligence

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Navigating the Geopolitical Stakes of Artificial Intelligence

The Buffett Institute's winter quarter symposium on AI and Geopolitics convened leading strategists, researchers and policymakers to discuss the transformative opportunities and profound challenges that AI poses in geopolitics.

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We began this research during the first Trump administration when approximately 5,000 families were separated at the US-Mexico border. At the time, the US government began using DNA testing to reunite families. However, our investigation revealed that rather than utilizing a standardized database system, the testing was conducted through 1-to-1 verification—a process that prolonged separations.

Buffett Q&A: Sara Huston on Leveraging DNA Technology to Reconnect Families

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Buffett Q&A: Sara Huston on Leveraging DNA Technology to Reconnect Families

For our inaugural Buffett Q&A, we spoke with Sara Huston, Genetics Ethicist at Lurie Children's Hospital and Research Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, to learn about her work as co-lead of the Buffett Institute's Global FamDNA Working Group.

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For a fourth year, a delegation of more than a dozen Northwestern students and faculty attended the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Buffett Q&A: Northwestern Students Research Climate Governance & Solutions at COP29

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Buffett Q&A: Northwestern Students Research Climate Governance & Solutions at COP29

Supported by the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Northwestern’s undergraduate and graduate student delegates attended the 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through a quarter-long research seminar.

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Upcoming Events

Buffett First Friday Lunch | Computationally Accessible Law: On Bringing the French & US Tax Systems Out of the Past & Into the Future with Sarah Lawsky

Friday, May 2 from 12:30–1:45 p.m. Lunch will begin at 12:15 p.m.
In person in Evanston, IL
For Northwestern students, faculty and staff

Learn more & register

Buffett Book Talk | Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders and the Global US with Beth Hurd

Wednesday, May 21 from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
In person in Evanston, IL
Open to the public

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Buffett Conversation: America’s Soft Power & Reputational Security in Crisis? with Nicholas Cull

Thursday, May 22 from 12:30–1:45 p.m. Lunch begins at 12:15 p.m.
In person in Evanston, IL
Open to the public

Learn more & register

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Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum on the twilight of democracy

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The Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs advances research and teaching about the world beyond the borders of the United States.

Research

Research

Education

Education

Impact

Impact

Latest News

Navigating the Geopolitical Stakes of Artificial Intelligence

Navigating the Geopolitical Stakes of Artificial Intelligence

Buffett Q&A: Sara Huston on Leveraging DNA Technology to Reconnect Families

Buffett Q&A: Sara Huston on Leveraging DNA Technology to Reconnect Families

Buffett Q&A: Northwestern Students Research Climate Governance & Solutions at COP29

Buffett Q&A: Northwestern Students Research Climate Governance & Solutions at COP29

Upcoming Events

Buffett First Friday Lunch | Computationally Accessible Law: On Bringing the French & US Tax Systems Out of the Past & Into the Future with Sarah Lawsky

Buffett Book Talk | Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders and the Global US with Beth Hurd

Buffett Conversation: America’s Soft Power & Reputational Security in Crisis? with Nicholas Cull

Join Us

Faculty Members

Students

Community Members