Albana Shehaj

Program Manager at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies

Albana Shehaj is the program manager at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES). A political scientist by training, Shehaj specializes in international political economy and democratic developments. She has more than a decade of experience in organizing, executing, and managing social science research projects with concrete policy impact.

Through her academic work, conducted previously as a visiting scholar at CES and at the department of political science and the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan, Shehaj has collaborated with academics, students, and policymakers to develop and implement academic initiatives to support inter-university scientific research and to provide intensive academic leadership through university course instruction and student mentoring.

Shehaj also serves as the Co-Principal Investigator for the 8th Wave of the World Values Survey for the United States, at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan.

In addition to her academic work, Shehaj’s professional experiences include working with policymakers, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and the United States Department of State’s National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) to evaluate and monitor policy initiatives focused on security, Artificial Intelligence, and economic developments. Her broader interests include accountability, economic reform, digitalization, migration, and democratization in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans Countries.

Shehaj holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Michigan, where she also received an M.A. in international relations and methodology, and a B.A. in political science and computer science.

Speaker Schedule

Saturday, February 1, 2025

at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS)
12:00pm - 1:15pm
Panel
Europe's Role in Global Diplomacy: Connecting the Balkans and Beyond Timčo Mucunski | John Shattuck | Albana Shehaj

Moderated by Ilva Tare

JFK Jr. Forum
Panel
Pretense or Promise? Europe's Climate Ambition Mohammed Chahim | Carolyn Fischer | Todd Stern

Moderated by Carrie Jenks

Starr Auditorium
Panel
A European Brand: Architecture, Hospitality, and Entertainment Alberto Candellero | Florian Idenburg | Demetri Tsolakis

Moderated by Octavia Marginean-Tahiroglu

Wexner 330