The Mortara Center for International Studies was founded through the generosity of the late Mr. Michael P. Mortara, his wife, Mrs.
The Mortara Center seeks to advance scholarship and inform policy by combining the expertise of scholars and the experience of international affairs practitioners to illuminate the fundamental forces that shape international relations. Virginia Mortara, and their friends, in January 2003. Mortara envisioned a center of scholarly inquiry at the School of Foreign Service that would embody the missio
n of the School and its focus on the intersection of theory and practice in international affairs. Today, the Mortara Center for International Studies promotes scholarly, interdisciplinary research by faculty and students, advancing policy-relevant knowledge about international political, social, and economic issues, and generating communities of research and practice on key global concerns. The Mortara Center is located in the Mortara Building, a historic town house at 3600 N Street NW, Washington, DC, that officially opened in September 2005. The gorgeously remodeled building features a large conference room with advanced audio-visual technology utilized for classes and events on a daily basis; a small conference room used for faculty and student research and small meetings; and office facilities for School of Foreign Service faculty and staff. The Mortara Building also houses the Center for Security Studies, which is located in the building's lower level. This physical space serves as the central hub for research activities at the School of Foreign Service; bringing together Georgetown scholars researching pressing global issues with policy-makers and other important change agents. Mortara Family
A 1971 graduate of Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, Michael Mortara was a dedicated volunteer leader at Georgetown, as evidenced by his many commitments to the School's Board of Visitors, the Third Century Campaign Steering Committee, and the board of the Wall Street Alliance, of which he was a founding member. At the time of his death in November 2000, Mortara had just began his service on the University's Board of Directors, proving a judicious member of the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Main Campus Affairs, and was President and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Ventures. He actively recruited Georgetown students to Goldman Sachs and encouraged the firm to support a variety of projects on campus. His elder son, Michael Jr., is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service class of 2004, and his younger son, Matthew, is a graduate of the class of 2009. His wife, Virginia Mortara, serves on the School of Foreign Service’ Board of Visitors and remains supportive of the Mortara Center’s many activities.
11/14/2022
Mark your calendars for 12 PM on Thursday, November 17 when the Mortara Center will award Yeling Tan the Lepgold Prize! Lunch will be served at 12 PM followed by the award presentation and lecture by Professor Yeling Tan for her book "Disaggregating China Inc.: State Strategies in the Liberal Economic Order" (Cornell University Press, 2021).
Join the Mortara Center on Thursday November 17, to present the annual Lepgold Book Prize Award to Yeling Tan for her book "Disaggregating China Inc.: State Strategies in the Liberal Economic Order" (Cornell University Press, 2021).
Yeling Tan is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Oregon. She is also a Public Intellectual Fellow with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and a nonresident scholar at the UCSD 21st Century China Center. Her research sits at the intersection of international and comparative political economy, with an emphasis on globalization and China’s economic governance.
The Georgetown University Lepgold Book Prize honors Joseph S. Lepgold, a Georgetown University Government and School of Foreign Service professor who died in a tragic hotel fire in Paris in December 2001. The prize honors exceptional contributions to the study of international relations, with particular emphasis on the resolution of critical policy challenges, published each calendar year.
Annual Lepgold Book Prize Award and Lecture: Yeling Tan - Georgetown University
Honoring Yeling Tan for her book Disaggregating China, Inc. State Strategies in the Liberal Economic Order (Cornell University Press, 2021). Lunch will be served at 12 PM, Talk starts at 12:30 PM About the book: Set in the aftermath of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, Disaggregatin...
03/30/2021
March's MURF of the Month is Jonathon Marek! Jonathon is a senior majoring in International Political Economy with a minor in Chinese and a certificate in Asian Studies. He is interested in economic policy and China's economic growth.
Read more about Jonathon and the MURF program:
Meet March's MURF of the Month: Jonathon Marek (SFS '21) - Mortara
The Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) program is a four-year research apprenticeship for undergraduate School of Foreign Service (SFS) students with the goal of empowering students as generators, not just consumers, of knowledge. Fellows are selected during their first year at Georgetown...
03/24/2021
Join us tomorrow for the last event of the 2020-2021 GPEP-R series! Guest speaker Dr. Kojo Koram will present on the intersections of race and illicit markets followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Professor Diana Kim. Register now to reserve your spot!
GPEP-R: Race and Illicit Markets - Georgetown University
The Global Political Economy Project (GPEP) team presents a series of talks, GPEP-R, which focus on race in International Political Economy. The talks will be hosted on Zoom and will consist of a 20-minute presentation highlighting the speaker’s research and mapping a future research agenda, follo...
03/10/2021
Join us tomorrow for the next event of the GPEP-R series! Guest speakers Dr. Olivia U. Rutazibwa and Dr. Naazneen Barma will present on the intersections of race and international development followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Professor Abraham Newman. Register now to reserve your spot!
GPEP-R: Race and International Development - Georgetown University
The Global Political Economy Project (GPEP) team presents a series of talks, GPEP-R, which focus on race in International Political Economy. The talks will be hosted on Zoom and will consist of a 20-minute presentation highlighting the speaker’s research and mapping a future research agenda, follo...
02/23/2021
February's MURF of the Month is Paul Castaybert! Paul is a senior majoring in International Political Economy. He is interested in the intersections of climate change, finance, and geopolitics.
Read more about Paul and the MURF program:
Meet February’s MURF of the Month: Paul Castaybert (SFS ‘21) - Mortara
The Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) program is a four-year research apprenticeship for undergraduate School of Foreign Service (SFS) students with the goal of empowering students as generators, not just consumers, of knowledge. Fellows are selected during their first year at Georgetown...
02/22/2021
The Mortara Center is thrilled to welcome six new Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURFs) to our community! Visit our website to learn more about the fellows and the MURF program.
Welcoming a New Class of MURFs - Mortara
The Mortara Center is thrilled to welcome six new Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURFs) to our community! The MURF program is a four-year research apprenticeship for undergraduate School of Foreign Service (SFS) students with the goal of empowering students as generators, not just consumers...
02/17/2021
Join us tomorrow for the next event of the GPEP-R series! Guest speaker Dr. Sonal Pandya will present on the intersections of race and foreign direct investment followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Professor Kathleen McNamara. Register now to reserve your spot!
GPEP-R: Race and Foreign Direct Investment - Georgetown University
The Global Political Economy Project (GPEP) team presents a series of talks, GPEP-R, which focus on race in International Political Economy. The talks will be hosted on Zoom and will consist of a 20-minute presentation highlighting the speaker’s research and mapping a future research agenda, follo...
02/04/2021
Join us tomorrow at 12pm EST for Great Power Competition in the Biden Years, a discussion with the author of The Return of Great Power Rivalry Professor Matthew Kroenig in conversation with Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky and Professor Abraham Newman.
Great Power Competition in the Biden Years - Georgetown University
Should great power competition be the Biden administration’s top foreign policy priority? Former President Trump’s 2017 National Security Strategy identified great power competition as the foremost priority, but President Biden will face many challenges in office, including COVID-19 and domestic...
02/03/2021
Join us tomorrow for the next event of the GPEP-R series! Guest speakers Dr. Burcu Bayram and Dr. J.P. Singh will present on the intersections of race and foreign aid followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Professor Abraham Newman. Register now to reserve your spot!
GPEP-R: Race and Foreign Aid - Georgetown University
The Global Political Economy Project (GPEP) team presents a series of talks, GPEP-R, which focus on race in International Political Economy. The talks will be hosted on Zoom and will consist of a 20-minute presentation highlighting the speaker’s research and mapping a future research agenda, follo...
01/27/2021
January's MURF of the Month is Nicole Ruggiero! Nicole is a senior majoring in Culture and Politics with a minor in Italian. She is interested in improving the lives of migrants and refugees around the world.
Read more about Nicole and the MURF program:
Meet January's MURF of the Month: Nicole Ruggiero (SFS ‘21) - Mortara
The Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellows (MURF) program is a four-year research apprenticeship for undergraduate School of Foreign Service (SFS) students with the goal of empowering students as generators, not just consumers, of knowledge. Fellows are selected during their first year at Georgetown...
01/19/2021
The Mortara Center has an exciting semester planned! Sign up for our mailing list to make sure you don't miss out on upcoming events and opportunities:
11/14/2022
11/10/2022
03/30/2021
03/24/2021
03/10/2021
02/23/2021
02/22/2021
02/17/2021
02/04/2021
02/03/2021
01/27/2021
01/19/2021