Global Dimensions

News and notes from across NYU's Campuses and Sites

The NYU Washington, DC, Music Club: Where There’s No Judgment

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

An NYU Liberal Studies student describes the value a new music club brings to NYU Washington, DC, students

Written by Saylee Nemade, Liberal Studies (LS), Class of 2026

On a spectacular fall Sunday, the NYU Washington, DC, Chamber Music Collective gathered downtown at the Church of the Epiphany to watch Mina Smith, LS Class of 2026, perform with the DC Concert Orchestra Society (DCCOS) in a program full of classical pieces by composers ranging from Mozart to Holmès. Mina began playing the violin when she was 6 years old. Since then, music has been an integral part of her life. During her time at NYU, she wanted to keep it a focal point. So she auditioned for DCCOS, where she says she’s enjoyed interacting with new people of all ages in a musical environment.

Interior of the Church of the Epiphany. Stained glass windows and people sitting in pews.

The DC Concert Orchestra Society performing at the Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington, DC

Mina is also a founding member of the NYU Washington, DC, Chamber Music Collective, a student-run club for music lovers of all kinds that launched in fall 2022. Her Sunday concert was one of several events and gatherings the club has organized with support from faculty adviser and violinist Dr. Sydney Boyd. Every Friday, the club holds ShowcaseHour, an open mic, for any NYU Washington, DC, student to share their musical talents. Under Boyd’s direction, the club has also attended events around the DC area (like Mina’s concert) as well as solo performances and guest lectures with pianists such as Dr. Yvonne Chen. There’s a diverse set of talents within the club. Students play myriad instruments from the violin, piano, and guitar to the xiao (a vertical end-blown flute) and the melodica. In turn, the club’s activities involve a variety of genres, styles, and musical affinities. For example, one week ShowcaseHour became KaraokeHour. Students also have plans to invite a variety of musical guests to share their own musical journeys. In everything it does, the club focuses on inclusion and community: no criticism, just applause for a shared passion.

Two masked students pose for the camera in the Church of the Epiphany

Saylee Nemade (left) and a friend attend the DC Concert Orchestra Society’s performance at the Church of the Epiphany

When I chose NYU Washington, DC, as my LS First Year Study Away site, I was elated to have the opportunity to join the Chamber Music Collective. It is a very open, nonjudgmental club. As a musician and dancer myself, music plays an influential part in my life. I have been dancing since I was 3, and I’ve been singing, writing, and composing since I was 8. In addition, I have played a variety of instruments since a young age and continue to play and compose on the piano. As the Chamber Music Collective’s administrative secretary, I enjoy proposing and organizing new events. I love watching and listening to the club members’ varied talents because each person is unique. We’re all from diverse backgrounds, and that brings new perspectives to the club.

Books for Every Reader at NYU Abu Dhabi

Posted on by Katie L

NYU Abu Dhabi's Library

While the NYU Abu Dhabi Library offers an array of academic books and resources for students and faculty, the recently launched Global Book Collection focuses on the curation of a collection based on a survey of favorite books and genres completed by contracted staff. “I think it’s an amazing initiative to give back to the contracted staff who supports the day-to-day running of the campus,” says Yuxuan Li. Yuxuan, an NYU Shanghai student studying away at NYU Abu Dhabi, learned about the initiative while seeking more opportunities beyond her business studies for the semester.

Launched in 2022, the Global Book Collection is the evolution of a used books program started by NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2014 alum Jin U Bak over eight years ago. The program was a way to promote sustainability culture at the University while giving new life to used books. Now it has blossomed into a joint partnership between the NYU Abu Dhabi Library and the Office of Social Responsibility (OSR).

NYU Abu Dhabi student Rawan Shaaban, along with Yuxuan, acted as an OSR assistant to catalog and tag literature for the collection’s launch. “People often think the library is only for students,” says Rawan. “With the global collection, it’s a space for everyone. I really like the initiative, and the fact that the books are in so many languages makes it very inclusive.”

The collection includes books in Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Urdu, with over 350 international titles on its shelves. Now the NYU Abu Dhabi Library not only reflects the University’s diverse community of students, faculty, and staff but also represents a myriad of languages commonly used by community members.

For example, Brendalle Belaza, a domestic worker who lives on campus, welcomes the initiative as a book lover and enjoys visiting the collection during her free time. “As I am starting to write my own stories, I love reading stories that are in Tagalog,” Belaza says.

OSR hopes to continue growing the collection year after year. “The library is thrilled to partner with the Office of Social Responsibility to build a collection around the interests and needs of our contracted colleagues, in their preferred languages. We are excited to continue working with our colleagues to develop the collection further based on their recommendations,” says Beth Russell, associate director for research services and strategy.

The collection is available to all NYU Abu Dhabi community members based on an honor system as well as open to requests for books and authors via a suggestion box located near the collection.

Repurposed with permission from NYU Abu Dhabi Latest News.

The Mission for Mental Health

Posted on by Katie L

Illustration of a hand reaching to a person in despair through a brain drawingBrian Hall is a world-renowned expert in global mental health, and he’s also the director of the Center for Global Health Equity and a professor of global public health at NYU Shanghai. According to Hall, the mission of the Center for Global Health Equity is to develop evidence around interventions that improve public mental health services and, in particular, respond to populations who experience adversities, including complex emergencies and disasters.

How does it fulfill its mission? “NYU Shanghai has given its full support to develop a leading center in global public health, and that commitment has already led to the center’s publication of more than 30 papers within 2022,” Hall says. Among its admirable output of work this year is a study on China’s existing literature in English and Chinese on mental health and psychological support (MHPSS) during calamities in the country from 2000 to 2021. The paper, “Mental health and psychosocial interventions to limit the adverse psychological effects of disasters and emergencies in China: A scoping review,” aims to understand the country’s MHPSS intervention research, policies for disasters and emergencies, and the efficacy of these interventions.

Hall’s research reveals that China’s experience in postcrisis psychosocial support was limited prior to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Since then, China has rapidly mobilized trained professionals to provide psychiatric and psychosocial services in affected communities, as demonstrated in the responses to the 2008 earthquake in the Sichuan Province and the COVID-19 outbreak in the Hubei Province in early 2020. In spite of these improvements, however, the study shows that critical gaps remain. For example, a lack of integration of MHPSS responses into the current national and local emergency response system, missing supervision and rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of mental health services, and regional imbalance in the quality and coverage of these services persist.

“It is critical to understand how China responds to disasters as this sets the stage for future development in the field domestically and provides the world a key vantage point to learn from successful implementation of MHPSS in our country,” says Hall. As senior author of the research and a commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Mental Health in China, Hall worked closely with notable scholars from Shanghai Mental Health Center, Sichuan University’s Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Columbia University for over a year to complete the project. The paper is part of the preparatory work for the Lancet Commission of Mental Health in China, cochaired by Central South University professor Xiao Shuiyuan and Columbia University professor Michael Phillips. The paper was recently published in The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific, a leading journal dedicated to advancing clinical practices and health policies in the Western Pacific region.

Repurposed with permission from NYU Shanghai News and Publications

Accessibility Abroad

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

Deciding to study in a new place and culture can be intimidating. And even though there are many resources available to NYU students while abroad, sometimes the most meaningful support and advocacy comes from their peers. The NYU Global Equity Fellowship is designed to do just that, by having students empower their classmates to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion while studying away.

Johileny Meran poses in front of the Tower Bridge

Johileny Meran in front of the Tower Bridge in London

Johileny Meran, College of Arts and Science (CAS) Class of 2019, was NYU London’s inaugural Global Equity Fellow. As a student who is also a manual wheelchair user, she took her time researching accessibility in London and seeking insight from other students who had studied abroad there. A Global Public Health and Sociology major with a minor in Disabilities Studies, Johileny ultimately decided to study abroad during her senior year.

Despite her thorough preparation, Johileny experienced unforeseen challenges as she adjusted. “I struggled my first few weeks in London because most local businesses had a step or two in front, and I thought I couldn’t go in,” says Johileny. It was hard for her to think she couldn’t go out with friends or browse in shops and experience the city, especially after all of her careful preparation. “Then I learned that many places have a doorbell by their main entrances for you to request assistance. They bring out a temporary ramp to put over the step,” she adds. “London is a very old city with old buildings, so they provide accessibility differently, but it does exist.”

While abroad as a Global Equity Fellow, Johileny developed the NYU London Access Culture Guide. “It’s a booklet with general information about studying in London as a student with a disability. It is very much centered on my perspective as a student with a physical disability who uses a manual wheelchair,” explains Johileny, “but I made it with the intention that it would be a living document.” She compiled information on accessible transportation, how ramp culture functions in London, and how to travel to other cities and countries from London. She also conferred with International Relations major Emely Recinos, CAS Class of 2020, to include her input.

Emely Recinos holds her white can and poses in front of a body of water

Emely Recinos during her time at NYU Buenos Aires

Emely, who is blind, saw NYU Buenos Aires as a great academic fit but wasn’t certain about navigating the city or the academic center itself. So she conducted her own research to determine what studying at NYU Buenos Aires would be like. “I looked into the culture of disability in Argentina to understand how people view it there,” she says. She also visited the Moses Center for Student Accessibility for resources and support. In turn, the Moses Center sent guidelines to NYU Buenos Aires, who then contacted relevant local resources. For example, they recruited a teacher in Buenos Aires who knew braille and had access to an embosser for braille printing to work with Emely on mobility instruction (that is, how to get around the city).

When planning for study away, both Johileny and Emely encourage students with disabilities to reach out to other students with disabilities who have studied abroad. “Talk to students about what it was like for them,” says Johileny. And most importantly? “Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find the information you want on the first try. And once you’re there, embrace it. There are a lot of ups and downs, and that’s completely normal.”

Repurposed with permission from NYU Global Notebook

Visions for the Future

Posted on by Maxine P

At NYU Abu Dhabi, Thani AlMheiri imagines the United Arab Emirates that could be

Portrait of Thani AlMheiri

Thani AlMheiri

Nobody can forecast the future. But NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2023 student Thani AlMheiri is trying his best. And he’s excited to be part of it. In fact, he points to his education at NYU Abu Dhabi for preparing him for his current work as a participant in a new United Arab Emirates (UAE) government initiative and beyond.

Thani is a member of the Futureneers program, run by the UAE’s Government Development and the Future Office, designed to bring “together young Emirati talents from various strategic fields to design ideas and solutions aiming to enhance the UAE’s readiness for the future.”

“Futureneers is an unpaid part-time position. It is more about being a board member and leading projects that prepare the country for the future,” Thani explains. A Philosophy major, Thani credits NYU Abu Dhabi with helping him dream big and develop his ambitions. After coming to NYU Abu Dhabi, he says, “My educational scope expanded dramatically thanks to the diverse and deep range of disciplines offered in its liberal arts curriculum.” Thani took part in the Academic Enrichment Program, which helps prepare Emirati students to succeed at NYU. The program focuses on developing qualitative, linguistic, and argumentation skills through three thematically integrated courses. Additionally, it provides robust mentorship for students as they transition to the University. “The team of professors and educators were the best, and I owe them a very special thank you. Without them, I wouldn’t have learned to think across disciplines and see the world from multiple perspectives,” says Thani. “The program was the first step in my Futureneers journey. It encouraged me to start reading about government and philosophy.”

Then Professor Matthew Silverstein’s Tolerance course cemented Thani’s newfound interest in ethics and politics. “The course taught me about the many views of religious toleration and how government involvement affects religious practice,” he says. He was hooked: “It really solidified my interest in government and philosophy, which ultimately led to my role as a Futureneer. Today, I hope to become a lawyer or philosophy professor and turn my education into practical service to better my growing country.”

As a Futureneer, Thani is doing just that. Working with others in his cohort, he confidently envisions a vivid and optimistic future for the UAE. “I believe the UAE can become an innovative green hub and, eventually, a carbon-free society. Education will be available to everyone, and everyone will contribute what they learn back to society,” he affirms. “I want this to be a place where pioneers can come and try out their craziest ideas, ones that would never be possible anywhere else.”

Repurposed and updated with permission from Meet NYU

At NYU Buenos Aires and NYU Madrid, Students Learn Spanish in Context

Posted on by Katie L

Foreign languages can provide a gateway to new cultures, new relationships, and new opportunities. And, of course, an organic environment where students engage with native users is one of the best ways for students to hone language skills. At NYU Buenos Aires and NYU Madrid, the University’s two Spanish-using locations, students can learn Spanish in and out of the classroom through language exchange programs, field trips, and everyday conversation.

“A language is never easy to learn, and it’s even harder to learn it by yourself,” explains Haiam Husain Lara, cultural program coordinator at NYU Madrid. “Ultimately, language is used for communication. So studying a language in context is crucial because you’re learning the language in the same circumstances you’ll use it: for conversation. There is just no other better way to acquire knowledge in something so distant yet so close to us.”

Argentina Hoy/Argentina Today at NYU Buenos Aires

A smiling student dances in a dance class

NYU Buenos Aires students join a local dance class with Buenos Aires residents

In the NYU Buenos Aires class Argentina Hoy/Argentina Today, taught by Language Coordinator and Professor Silvia Luppino, students explore current issues in Argentine society as they practice their Spanish language skills. The class visits sites like the Parque de la Memoria, a riverside park, and the Museo Etnográfico Juan B. Ambrosetti, the University of Buenos Aires’ ethnographic museum, as well as attends a cultural workshop about the Guaraní, one of the Indigenous peoples in Argentina and South America. Additionally, students participate in regular language exchanges with Argentine students through the Asociación de Centros de Idiomas, a local association of language centers. “Students can engage in a lively and relaxed atmosphere and share how they live and study, where they travel, and what they expect,” explains Luppino.

Each semester, Luppino changes the syllabus to reflect the latest trends and topics. Recently, the class attended a screening of the film Argentina, 1985, an Argentine movie about the civil trial of the last dictatorship’s military juntas. “It made a big impact on the students,” says Luppino. “They saw the audience’s emotional reaction, and they could appreciate that this didn’t feel like a ‘past’ event for Argentinians. Rather, it is a central part of the social experience.” That emotional connection to “the real language,” in Luppino’s words, is why immersive learning is so vital. “I always tell students that the journey is not only to cross the equator. Here, their cultural values and certainties will be put to the test, and that includes the Spanish language they learned from textbooks.”

NYU Madrid’s Language Exchange Program

A group of cyclists

NYU Madrid students participate in a language exchange bike ride at Rio Park.

“At NYU Madrid, we aim to ensure each student feels comfortable exploring the city and the Spanish language through activities that require participation and collaboration with native speakers. And we make sure they have fun while doing it,” says Husain Lara. Each semester, NYU students pair up with local university students to participate in weekly language exchanges. Since every student already takes intensive Spanish, the program emphasizes getting out of the classroom. Recent excursions included bowling, museums, and even miniature golf. During each outing, students learn terminology related to the activity in action. For example, during a recent salsa and bachata class, NYU students received cards with dance moves in Spanish while Spanish users received them in English. Then they had to communicate in their non-native languages to coordinate their dances.

“Studying a language in context breathes life into that language,” says Alejandro Pérez Pardo, assistant director for student life and housing at NYU Madrid. “Spanish can be very difficult, and in class, it sometimes doesn’t make sense because you’re not experiencing how it’s actually used. But when you go out, you start to understand why and how to use it—and why it’s important. By actually talking to Spanish people, students bond with one another and develop a real love of the language.” Husain Lara adds, “The idea we want to spread is that a language is never a barrier. Rather, it’s a bridge that helps us cross to another land we haven’t explored yet.”

Written by Dana Guterman

Opportunities for Immersion: Experiential Learning Across the World

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

One of the many benefits of studying abroad is students learning from world-class faculty while also gaining a new perspective on the world around them. The space where learning happens isn’t limited to the classroom, but expanded to a specific site, with courses planned to both inform and immerse.

As they connect their learning to the places where they study and vice versa, students are equipped with the tools to approach knowledge with curiosity, exploration, and context. Here are some recent courses that capitalize on the locations where they take place.

Cultures and Context: The Black Atlantic

At NYU Accra, Professor Kofi Baku teaches this wide-ranging history course to explore the concept of the Black Atlantic as a sociocultural and economic space. The course covers the 15th-century capture of Africans and their arrival in the New World, the rise of slavery and the eventual emancipation in the Americas, and decolonization and the Black struggle for liberation, equality, and Pan-Africanism.

A large group of students in front of a white set of stairs and building

NYU Accra students on a trip to Elmina Castle.

To complement the historical moments covered in the course, Professor Baku organizes field trips to key sites in Ghana. These trips include a tour of the Cape Coast and Elmina Castle, where African captives were held before they were sent to the Americas. They also visit Osu Castle to learn about the legacies of the Danish slave trade on the Gold Coast. And finally, they visit a plantation in Sesemi to learn about the Gold Coast’s development after the abolition of the slave trade. As students visit these sites, they write personal, interdisciplinary reflections based on their experiences.

Culture of the City: Italian Urban Life

At NYU Florence, Professor Davide Lombardo thinks of the city on two levels: historical and theoretical. From ancient times to modernity, students get a historical and spatial overview of the evolution of Florence’s urban environment.

Aurora Russell, a junior double majoring in Psychology and Journalism with a minor in Anthropology comments on the importance of immersion, “We spend the field-based classes completely in the location, whether it’s out in the city, in a museum, or at a church. Immersing yourself in an environment while you’re discussing that place is a really good way to learn about and understand it.”

Students wearing white gloves look through large books

NYU Florence students immerse themselves in the Acton Art Collection.

Shaping an Educational Landscape: Museum Island

At NYU Berlin, Professor Annette Loeseke organizes a thematic exploration of museums in her course, a mixture of classroom discussions and field trips to the cultural institutions on Museumsinsel. Home to Berlin’s complex of five world-famous museums, students explore the role of the museum in modern times covering topics like feminist and LGBTQ+ perspectives on art collections, digital museum tools and the politics of code, and postcolonial museums in diverse societies.

Throughout the semester, the class meets at the Altes Museum, Neues Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Pergamon Museum and Panorama, Bode-Museum, and Hamburger Bahnhof Museum for Contemporary Art (which is not on Museuminsel), to explore the intersection of museums, history, culture, and politics.

A group of people stand in a circle in front of greenery.

Annette Loeske introduces a museum visit to her Museum Island class at NYU Berlin.

Repurposed with permission from Meet NYU.

Staff Spotlight: Kari Miller, Program Director of NYU Washington, DC

Posted on by Katie L
Kari Miller

 Kari Miller

NYU Washington, DC, is a prime location for students to study and gain experience in public policy, politics, and international relations. Kari Miller, the center’s program director, has lived in Washington, DC, for over 20 years, bringing passion for both the city and international education to her leadership. Read on for Miller’s thoughts on her career, the importance of studying away, and the gem that is NYU Washington, DC.

Why do you think it’s important for students to study away?

Studying away gives you a platform to have a second home, away from home. It’s not expected that you will learn everything about a place in a few months, but when you study somewhere extraordinary, you will stay connected with that place your whole life. You will stay in touch with friends, you will make colleagues and connections, and you will continue to study and be part of the place.

What inspired your career in international education?

Growing up, my father was in the Air Force. When he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, my family was fortunate enough to go with him. We left when I was 3 and returned when I was 6, so my first vision of the United States was that of somebody who was coming from the outside in. Later, when I attended Spelman College, I studied abroad in South Africa, which later led me to earn my PhD in African Studies at Howard University. After having the incredible experience of studying abroad, I knew I wanted a career in international education.

What makes Washington, DC, such a special place to study?

Beyond the incredible opportunities to interact with various government organizations, cultural institutions, and nonprofit organizations, I think its geographic location makes Washington, DC, special. We are surrounded by water and farmlands in Maryland and Virginia. Within the city, it’s easy to find public spaces that you love. We have building height restrictions and well-organized streets so it’s easy to know where you are and where you are going.

A Setting for Study

Students are encouraged to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the city. They could be studying dance and interning at the Kennedy Center or majoring in History and conducting research at the Library of Congress.

People standing in front of the Washington Monument

Even within the curriculum, students utilize Washington, DC, as a resource for its location and as a nexus of intellectual life. For example, the course Black Lives Writing Washington, DC, was launched in spring 2020 and continues to be offered to study away students. Coursework examines writings from 1845 to the present, beginning with the writings of Frederick Douglass and Harlem Renaissance writers, Zora Neale Hurston and Alain Locke, who studied at Howard University, also located in Washington, DC. Sites within Washington, DC, serve as an extension of the classroom: the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Howard University, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Content repurposed and updated with permission from NYU Global Notebook

NYU and KAIST Celebrate New Partnership

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A visit by South Korea’s president and the New York City mayor to NYU marks an important global academic partnership

KAIST President Lee Kwang Hyung with NYU President Andrew Hamilton

KAIST President Lee Kwang Hyung and NYU President Andrew Hamilton celebrate the NYU-KAIST partnership. ©Chandler: Courtesy of NYU Photo Bureau

New York University and KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) recently celebrated their new partnership at an event that included South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol, New York City mayor Eric Adams, NYU board of trustees chair William R. Berkley, NYU president Andrew Hamilton, and KAIST president Lee Kwang Hyung. The event included the City of New York and the KAIST delegation signing a cooperation agreement as well as unveiling signage for the anticipated joint New York City campus.

Collaboration Through Research

The partnership will focus on science, technology, engineering, arts, humanities, and mathematics, commencing with a series of research collaborations involving some 50 faculty members from the two institutions in areas such as biomedical engineering, AI convergence, neuroscience, next-generation wireless communications, cybersecurity, and sustainability, among other areas. In addition, discussions have begun between faculty of the two institutions regarding the possibility of establishing a joint undergraduate engineering degree program, as well as a study away program that would include intensive practical learning and industry experience in both countries.

Joint Programs and Student Exchange

The two universities have already identified dedicated space on each campus for their nascent joint collaborations. In New York City, the NYU-KAIST offices will be located at One MetroTech Center, at the heart of NYU’s Downtown Brooklyn campus specializing in engineering, tech, new media, and arts. KAIST will provide space for NYU personnel on their campus. With the goal of establishing a campus in New York City by 2025, KAIST has also been in discussion with New York City officials about its plans.

A Beneficial Partnership

“We’re proud to have helped facilitate this partnership between KAIST and New York University, which will be a real win for students and help drive continued innovation in our city,” said New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams. “From the time that senior members of our administration learned about this opportunity during a recent trip to South Korea, we have worked closely with KAIST to develop strategies for increasing their presence and investments in New York City. This is the start of a relationship that I am confident will bring even more academic, business, and technological opportunities to the five boroughs.”

“We’re delighted by our newly established partnership with KAIST,” said NYU’s President Andrew Hamilton. “We see great potential in the opportunities to collaborate on the development of courses, research, cutting-edge technologies, entrepreneurship initiatives and industrial partnerships, and exchanges. We believe this partnership is very much in line with NYU’s commitment to global engagement and will make important contributions to New York’s tech sector. It’s exciting to think how much NYU and KAIST have to learn from one another, and how much we may accomplish together.”

“We are very excited to have our institution come together with NYU to begin pursuing a common vision: joining forces to advance technology-based research and education; playing a leading role in addressing global challenges and problems through science and technology; and building stronger ties between Korea and the United States,” said KAIST’s President Kwang Hyung Lee. “This partnership with an institution that shares our sense of cutting-edge research and global social responsibility recalls the spirit of international partnership and assistance that led to the creation of KAIST in 1971.”

Content repurposed with permission from NYU News.

NYU Shanghai Launches New Partnership with NYU Wagner’s Public Administration PhD Program

Posted on , modified on by Kristin Law

NYU Shanghai and the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service partnered to launch a new research and study abroad opportunity for those pursuing a PhD in Public Administration. The new program brings NYU Shanghai’s total number of PhD offerings to 11. The application cycle for the class arriving in the fall of 2023 is now closed, but the NYU Wagner application portal will reopen next fall for fall 2024 candidates.

The Shanghai skyline

The new program is especially attractive to students with a special interest in urban planning and policy, according to NYU Shanghai assistant professor of urban science and policy ChengHe Guan, the program’s supervising faculty member.

“Urban digitalization has become an irresistible trend around the world for its significant role in accelerating economic growth, improving urban governance, promoting sustainable urban growth, and facilitating many aspects of our lives,” Guan says. “China is now at the forefront of urban digitalization. I hope we can tackle China’s new urban challenges from a global perspective and share our experience in building digital smart cities with the world,” Guan adds.

A Lab for the Cities of Tomorrow

“At our new state-level NYU Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, students will use advanced technology, such as big data and artificial intelligence, to undertake a multidisciplinary exploration of this digital urban transformation through urban studies, data science, urban planning, urban ecology, urban geography, urban economics, and real estate development,” Guan says. It’s a great platform for PhD students, with three main research areas:

  1. Planning for sustainable postpandemic cities
  2. Planning for the growth of climate-responsive low-carbon cities in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation
  3. Planning for environmentally sensitive urban green and blue infrastructure using social sensing techniques

The NYU Advantage

Like many of NYU Shanghai’s master’s and PhD offerings, the PhD in Public Administration builds upon the academic resources and research communities within NYU’s global network. Admitted students pursue their coursework at NYU Wagner in New York City for one to two years before relocating to Shanghai for research under the supervision of NYU Shanghai faculty. Students mostly spend summer terms, especially during their first two years, in Shanghai as well. All PhD candidates earn an NYU doctoral degree upon graduation.

NYU Wagner is among the top-ranking public policy schools in the United States, especially in urban planning and policy, where the school ranks first in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Admitted students have many opportunities to study and conduct research with some of the world’s top faculty in the field.

In Shanghai students can participate in research conducted at the NYU Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research, and the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence as well as access the abundant resources at the Center for Global Asia.

“Faculty across NYU Shanghai are researching the intelligent design of cities. Our emerging interdisciplinary strength in this area made establishing a doctoral program in partnership with NYU Wagner perfectly apt. Students in the program analyze how urban centers around the world like Shanghai are shaped in today’s era from scientific and policy perspectives, all while gaining a unique, global, two-campus experience that only a university like NYU can offer,” says Eric H. Mao, the NYU Shanghai dean of graduate and advanced education.

All admitted students are fully funded under the NYU Shanghai Doctoral Fellowship, which covers tuition and fees and provides students with international health insurance, travel funds, and an annual stipend. Since fall 2015, 50 students have enrolled in NYU Shanghai PhD programs.

Story repurposed (and updated) with permission from NYU Shanghai News and Publications.