UNU-CPR has strengthened its research capacity with the hiring of several senior researchers – consolidating its expertise in areas of critical global concern and enhancing its offer to the wider United Nations system and Member States. The researchers will be based in the Centre’s New York headquarters and its Geneva office.
Alongside more established research agendas, including peace and security and the governance of Artificial Intelligence, UNU-CPR’s new experts will allow the Centre to build on its recent efforts to promote understanding of international financial architecture (IFA) reforms – at a time when demands for more equitable and inclusive economic systems are becoming more pronounced, particularly among Member States in the Global South.
The additional research capacity will also contribute to new areas of work: exploring innovative global governance models and options for future-oriented policymaking. A "Global Governance Innovation" initiative will address governance gaps by identifying innovative practices that can be extended to foster cooperation on new global challenges – from the management of critical minerals to digital cooperation.
Regarding future-oriented policymaking, the Centre will consider how to ensure the rights of "future generations" – those not yet born – are taken into consideration when decisions are made today. This area of work is already helping to shape conversations about a new Special Envoy for Future Generations at the United Nations.
Dr. Nicole Goldin (New York) joins UNU-CPR from the Atlantic Council where she was a non-resident senior fellow at the Council’s GeoEconomics Center. Nicole brings considerable experience as an economist, development practitioner and policy advisor and has previously worked in senior positions at Abt Associates, UNICEF, the World Bank, the US State Department and US Agency for International Development. She has also been a Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University. Nicole will lead UNU-CPR’s Equitable Development pillar.
Dr. Michael Franczak (New York) has been hired as Senior Researcher in Multilateralism and Global Governance, specializing in governance innovation and climate and development finance. He is also a Visiting Fellow at Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the International Peace Institute, advised the Republic of Maldives on loss and damage finance, and consulted for the UNFCCC. He held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University and is the author of Global Inequality and American Foreign Policy in the 1970s (Cornell University Press, 2022).
Dr. Caroline Dunton (New York) joins UNU-CPR as a Senior Researcher in Multilateralism and Global Governance in May. From 2024-2025, she was the Skelton-Clark Postdoctoral Fellow at Queen’s University. Caroline earned her PhD from the University of Ottawa, where she was also a Research Associate at the Centre for International Policy Studies. Caroline previously worked in Canada’s foreign ministry and at Global Affairs Canada as a Senior Analyst in Foreign Policy Planning and as the Cadieux-Léger Fellow in Foreign Policy Research.
Daouia Chalali (Geneva) will drive UNU-CPR’s work on future generations – exploring the tools and strategies needed to implement long-term governance and build multistakeholder coalitions. Daouia is an accomplished foresight practitioner with previous experience at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations and in the private sector.
Madeleine Hamel (Geneva) joins UNU-CPR as a Research Associate, providing policy-relevant research and advice across a broad spectrum of issues, including human rights, peace and security, the environment, science and technology, and global governance. Madeleine previously worked at the Swiss National Open Research Data Strategy Council, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and in the think tank world.
Commenting on the new appointments, David Passarelli, Director of UNU-CPR, said: “We are seeing an increase in demand for innovative governance solutions that foster trust and strengthen collective action in the face of new intersecting crises and persistent development challenges. This group of accomplished researchers will help UN colleagues, Member States, and others, navigate the complex challenges facing the multilateral system.”
He added: “Their contributions build on UNU-CPR’s recent contributions to the Summit of the Future and enhance the Centre’s research and policy support during a time when equitable development, climate finance and global governance dominate global policy agendas.”
