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Center for Policy Research

The Center for Policy Research

The mission of the Center for Policy Research (CPR) is to advance the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy’s goal of promoting research, teaching, and outreach excellence in the fields of international affairs, political science, public administration and public policy.

CPR offers extensive support for Rockefeller College faculty and students seeking to obtain funding for their research and outreach efforts. CPR assists faculty and students in identifying potential funding sources, the preparation and submission of grant proposals, and in post-award management and implementation.

The Center’s experienced staff handles administrative matters and financial dealings with the Division for Research, The Research Foundation for The State University of New York and various government and private sponsors. CPR also administers the Rockefeller College’s Research Incentive Fund, which provides seed and bridge funding to support faculty research. 

Educational Mission

CPR contributes to the educational mission of Rockefeller College. CPR staff contribute to outreach events designed to educate graduate students about sponsored research opportunities.

The Center also offers support to PhD students in the preparation, submission, and management of dissertation-related research grants. There are also numerous student research opportunities available through CPR’s Project on Violent Conflict and Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft.

Who We Are
About CPR

CPR was formally established in September 1987. Research conducted under the auspices of CPR addresses policy-relevant topics in the fields of international affairs, political science, public administration and public policy.

CPR serves multidisciplinary and cross-departmental needs at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy and promotes the goal of increasing the University at Albany’s level of sponsored research activity. CPR supports fundamental research, applied research, and outreach activities.

The Center has over 35 years’ experience conducting applied research, analysis and outreach across a range of public policy and issue areas. CPR has a long and notable history of managing and implementing grants and sponsored programs for the Government of the United States, including projects for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Naval Research.

CPR has also worked with private sponsors, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Center for Retirement Research.

CPR is a leader at the University in the areas of policy-related research and outreach. Since 2010, the faculty have worked with CPR to bring in over $30 million dollars worth of grant funding, averaging over $2.3 million per year.

In recent years, the Center’s profile in the areas of conflict and international security has risen dramatically with the creation of the Project on Violent Conflict and the Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft.

The Center, led by Professor Victor Asal, has more than 20 staff, researchers, and affiliated faculty. Other key Center personnel include Mrs. Lois Brando Pownall and Mr. Jim Levy.

Research Projects
Affiliates & Partners Websites
Center for Policy Research (CPR)
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy
Milne Hall 300

135 Western Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
United States

Director's Message

Victor Asal
Professor Victor Asal, Director
Center for Policy Research

Welcome. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Center for Policy Research website. The Center supports Rockefeller College’s goal of maintaining excellence in the field of public policy by emphasizing research on both methodological and substantive issues. CPR serves multidisciplinary, cross-departmental, and University-wide needs, and works toward increasing the University's level of sponsored research activity.

Within its broad mission, the Center provides support for research in the fields of international affairs, political science, public administration, and public policy.

Two research efforts tied to the center, the Project on Violent Conflict (PVC) and the Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES) have significantly deepened the Center’s research and outreach profile in the areas of international security and conflict. The Center also provides support to University faculty in obtaining research funding for policy research.

The Center for Policy Research is eager to assist any faculty member in submitting grant proposals and administering projects. Furthermore, our experienced staff is able to handle any administrative or financial needs related to your project(s) by liaising with the Office for Research, The Research Foundation for The State University of New York, and numerous funding agencies. If you have any questions at all, I encourage you to contact me or one of our administrators.

We look forward to helping Rockefeller College faculty, students and staff with proposal needs.

Sincerely,

Victor Asal
Center for Policy Research
Rockefeller College for Public Affairs & Policy

Staff Directory

Victor Asal
Victor Asal
Professor
Department of Political Science; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy; Center for Policy Research
300B Milne Hall
Lois Brando Pownall, MBA
Lead Administrator
Center for Policy Research
300D Milne Hall
James M. Levy
Associate Administrator
Center for Policy Research
323 Milne Hall

Research Associates

Senior Research Fellow
[email protected]

Senior Research Fellow
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected]

Donald Boyd

Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-591-8738

Shawn Bushway

Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
[email protected]

Associate Professor, PhD Director
Department of Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5284

Gang Chen

Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-591-8767

Christopher Clary

Associate Dean for Research, Professor, and Vice Chair of Political Science
Department of Political Science, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5272

Bryan Early

Fellow, Adjunct Professor
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES), Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected]

Nolan Fahrenkopf

Associate Professor, Undergraduate Program Director
Department of Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5205

Ashley Fox

Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-3892

J. Ramon Gil-Garcia

Associate Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-3855

stephen holt picture

Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
[email protected]

Lara Howe Stenberg

Interim Senior Executive Director of SCJ, Associate Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Department of Political Science, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, School of Criminal Justice, Department of Africana, Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies
[email protected] | 518-442-3940

Matthew C. Ingram

Assistant Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected]

Mikhail Ivonchyk

Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
[email protected]

Togzhan Kassenova

Professor, Director of the Master of International Affairs Program
Department of Political Science, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5314

rey koslowski photo

Assistant Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5280

Hongseok Lee

Chair of Public Administration and Policy, Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5297

Luis Felipe Luna-Reyes

Assistant Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected]

Melissa Arnold Lyon

Professor
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, Department of Public Administration & Policy, College of Integrated Health Sciences
[email protected] | 518-442-5243

Erika Martin

Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
[email protected]

Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
[email protected]

Crystal Pryor

Associate Professor and Chair, Information Systems and Business Analytics (ISBA)
Massry School of Business
[email protected] | 518-956-8359

rich eliot photo

Visiting Assistant Professor, Research Associate
Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, Department of Public Administration & Policy
[email protected]

Associate Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5261

Ellen Rubin

Associate Professor
Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5235

Lucy Sorensen

Professor, Undergraduate Program Director
Department of Political Science, Department of Public Administration & Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-3856

Patricia Strach

Professor, Director of SUNY/CUNY Southeast Asia Consortium
Department of Political Science, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
[email protected] | 518-442-5256

Meredith Weiss

 

Emeriti

Thomas R. Stewart
Thomas R. Stewart
Research Professor Emeritus
Center for Policy Research
I am interested in analyzing expert or professional judgment under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. Why are some judges more accurate than others? How can judgments be improved? I am particularly interested in practical applications of judgment and decision research to public policy issues and to improving professional judgment.