Four scholars selected as 2026-27 PIIRS Postdoctoral Fellows

Four scholars from disciplines spanning government, history and applied economics have been named to the 2026-27 cohort of PIIRS Postdoctoral Fellows Program.

The program supports scholars whose research deepens understanding of specific regions while tackling big-picture questions in the social sciences. Fellows will join a vibrant intellectual community of faculty and peers, engaging in regular workshops, interdisciplinary conversations, and collaborative activities that challenge assumptions and expand horizons.

“At a time when support for research and international engagement faces growing headwinds, PIIRS remains committed to advancing rigorous, globally grounded scholarship,” said Grigore Pop-Eleches, acting director of PIIRS and professor of politics and international affairs. “The Postdoctoral Fellows Program plays an important role in that effort, bringing together exceptional young scholars whose work deepens regional understanding while addressing broad, emergent questions in the social sciences.”

The PIIRS Postdoctoral Fellows for the 2026-2027 academic year are:

• Sudarshana Chanda, Harvard University
• Natalia Pia Guerrero Trinidad, University of Minnesota
• Andrew O’Donohue, Harvard University
• Sonya Schoenberger, Stanford University

The postdocs will meet bi-weekly with the program’s faculty director, and periodically with a core group of faculty fellows across disciplines to present their work and learn from others. They will also have access to research funds and the opportunity to organize book workshops. 

More about the fellows:

Sudarshana Chanda

Sudarshana Chanda is a historian of modern South and Southeast Asia, with research interests in empire, migration, law, and family in the Indian Ocean world. She holds a master’s in history and China studies from the Yenching Academy of Peking University and a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. At Princeton, she will work on her book manuscript, which explores how petitions from ordinary individuals in multiethnic and transnational families reshaped the classificatory frameworks that governed access to rights and resources in British Malaya. 

Natalia Pia Guerrero Trinidad

 Natalia Pia Guerrero Trinidad is an economist whose research explores how institutions and culture shape crime, governance, and development using causal inference, archival research, and fieldwork. She earned her Ph.D. in applied economics at the University of Minnesota. As a PIIRS Postdoctoral Fellow, she will advance her research on illicit markets, violence, migration and norms in Latin America, building on her dissertation, which explores how grassroots security institutions shape lasting moral norms and influence life trajectories.

Andrew O’Donohue

Andrew O’Donohue is a political scientist who studies the role of law and courts in struggles over democracy. He received his Ph.D. in government from Harvard University. His research combines quantitative analysis of original data on judicial decisions and qualitative interviews with judges on the Constitutional Court of Turkey and the Supreme Court of Israel. At Princeton, O’Donohue will work on “Law Versus Democracy,” which examines why courts sometimes undermine democracy and why courts survive attacks by elected governments. 

Sonya Schoenberger

Sonya Schoenberger's research explores the intersections of law, environmental history, and the history of science and technology. She has a J.D. from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in history from Stanford University. Her current project traces how leaders across Oceania navigated the challenges and opportunities of decolonization to establish control over vast maritime zones — and the resources contained therein — during the 1970s, 80s and 90s. At Princeton, Schoenberger will continue work on her first book, tentatively titled “Oceanic Sovereignties: Decolonization and the Rise of Large Ocean States.”