Twenty-six Yale University students have been named Kerry Fellows for the 2020-21 academic year, including five graduate students from the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.

Part of the Kerry Initiative led by former Secretary of State John Kerry YC ’66, the Fellows will collaborate with Sec. Kerry on leading-edge research aimed at developing real-world policy solutions.

The students represent Yale College and several of Yale’s professional schools, including the schools of the Environment, Law, Management, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. Read more

The five Jackson graduate students named 2020-2021 Kerry Fellows are:

Courtney Bliler photo
Courtney Bliler

Courtney Bliler is a first-year MA student at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. She is interested in the impacts of climate change and environmental scarcity on conflict, forced migration, and development in fragile states. Previously, Courtney served in the U.S. Army as a Field Artillery Officer, serving in the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She has also previously interned with the U.S. State Department’s Office of Iraq Affairs and work ed supporting the Public Affairs section of the U.S. diplomatic mission to Yemen. Courtney graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Modern Middle Eastern Studies.

Douglas Burt photo
Douglas Burt

Douglas Burt is a first-year master’s student at the Jackson Institute of Global Affairs. He graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 2017 with a double major in international relations and history. While at Tufts, he interned with Erie Insurance’s Investments Division, assessing geopolitical risk in Erie’s asset allocation process, and with the U.S. Department of Defense, analyzing nuclear weapons policy. After graduating, Doug became a California Capital Executive Fellow in Sacramento, a program jointly administered by the Office of the Governor and the Center for California Studies. As an Executive Fellow, he designed policies focusing on climate change and sustainable economic development, including catalytic investments in community planning and advanced research and development in clean energy. He was then appointed to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), where he served as a Policy and Strategy Analyst on OPR’s Military Affairs team. At OPR, he co-managed award-winning U.S. Department of Defense funded programs to build cybersecurity resilience in the defense industry and strengthen the American defense manufacturing base. At Yale, Doug plans to study the role of strategic economic development and non-traditional actors in international security and diplomacy. 

Taek Jin Han photo
Taek Jin Han

Taek Jin Han is a Foreign Service Officer from the Republic of Korea. Before joining Jackson, he worked as a protocol officer for overseas presidential visits and summits. Taek Jin also carried out diplomatic missions dealing with the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK), defense technology, and development projects in the Caribbean. At Jackson, Taek Jin studied how emerging technologies shape foreign policy around the world. He was also selected as a Kerry Fellow. He holds a BA in international relations from Seoul National University and an MA in North Korean politics from the University of North Korean Studies. Taek Jin is happily married and lives in Boston.

Dilan Ezgi Koç photo
Dilan Ezgi Koç

Dilan Ezgi Koç is a fellow at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs’ Nuclear Security Program, part of International Security Studies.

She is currently a trainee at the Nuclear Policy Directorate at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. She supports the Directorate in its work to ensure the safety, security, effectiveness, and credibility of NATO’s nuclear deterrence, including by supporting relevant committees and senior leaders. Dilan also will work on issues focusing on the responsible integration of Artificial Intelligence tools and concepts into NATO’s defense and security processes.

Dilan has completed her master’s studies at Yale University, working on issues including nuclear and arms control policies, cybersecurity, new technologies, and Artificial Intelligence policy. At Yale, she also worked as a Kerry Fellow and conducted research on Iran’s nuclear program and the JCPOA for former Secretary John Kerry.

Dilan was also a Fulbright Grantee, a 2022 Nuclear Scholar at the Project on Nuclear Issues at CSIS, and a United Nations Youth Champion for Disarmament at the UNODA.

Libby Lange photo
Libby Lange

Libby Lange is graduating with an MA in global affairs from the Jackson Institute, where she focused on disinformation and democratic resilience in the context of U.S.-China relations. Prior to coming to Yale, Libby worked as a speechwriter and digital communications manager for Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Following graduation, she will continue her work creating healthier online information ecosystems as an analyst at Graphika.