Political analyst and professor at Columbia University, Lincoln Mitchell, speaks about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' endorsement of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Douglas Almond, professor of international and public affairs and economics, and Zoey Yiyuan Zhou of Columbia Climate School, were awarded the Prize for Best Data and Metrics at the 2025 Global Research Alliance for Sustainable Finance and Investment (GRASFI) Conference for their paper “Biodiversity Co-Benefits in Carbon Markets? Evidence from Voluntary Offset Projects.”

Timothy Naftali, a presidential historian at Columbia University, speaks to the demolition of the White House's East Wing and the 123 years of American history it embodied.

Human Rights, Gender, and Equity, formally known as Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy, provides a strong foundation in human rights, gender policy, and equity, enabling future policymakers and advocates to pursue rights-centered approaches that seek to protect against discrimination and abuse. Nonya talks about her experience in the program and how its amplified her goals and community. 

According to Robert Y. Shapiro, political science professor at Columbia University, "There is an old expression in (Chicago) politics, 'don't make no waves, don't back no losers.' Mamdani is ahead and it looks like the only way for him to lose would be for Sliwa to drop out and endorse Cuomo.

According to Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, energy has been used throughout history "as a coercive tool and a source of military and economic strength."

Edward Fishman, a senior research scholar at Columbia University, argues that sanctions are more powerful than tariffs because the dollar is used for about 90 percent of global foreign exchange transactions.

Kamayah shares her application advice on how to market your skillsets and past experiences, because not everyone has won a Nobel Prize!

Anya Schiffrin and Natali Helberger, co-chairs of the Steering Committee, highlighted that “the current concentration of economic, technological and political power in the hands of a few Big Tech platforms that control large parts of the digital information infrastructure is a threat to democracy”.

The sixth edition of the seminar will take place in person on the Columbia University campus from June 1–5, 2026.