About
Mihaela Papa is a Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where she co-founded and leads the Rising Power Alliances project. She previously served as Adjunct Assistant Professor (2018–2023) and Lecturer (2014–2018) at The Fletcher School. Her research has been supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Defense and includes collaborations at Harvard Law School and Fudan University’s Center for BRICS Studies.
Dr. Papa holds a B.A. in Economics (Trade) from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, and both her M.A. in Law and Diplomacy and Ph.D. in International Relations from Tufts University’s Fletcher School. Her expertise bridges academic and practitioner roles, with advisory work for MIT, the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and entities like the U.S. government and European Commission.
Her research interests span international negotiations, BRICS/rising powers, sustainability diplomacy, and the evolution of global governance. She analyzes how emerging powers like BRICS reshape alliances and institutions, particularly in response to U.S.-China-Russia dynamics and climate challenges. Recent work includes studies on soft balancing in informal institutions, EU institutional support trends, and BRICS’ role in AI governance.
Dr. Papa has received the ISA-West Award (2022) for her analysis of BRICS de-dollarization. She teaches courses on Sustainable Development Diplomacy and Water Governance, reflecting her commitment to linking academic research with practical global policy solutions. She also leads initiatives exploring parallel global governance structures through the Rising Power Alliances project.
