Sixteen new Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity will be joining the International Inequalities Institute at LSE this autumn. These mid-career activists, researchers, and practitioners represent a wide range of countries across the globe, with new Fellows coming from Georgia, El Salvador, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Colombia, the United States, Afghanistan, Ireland, Tanzania, Nigeria, Algeria, France, Cuba, Somalia, and Sri Lanka.
The 2026-27 Cohort joins AFSEE as it celebrates its tenth anniversary year. The theme of the upcoming anniversary is Hope in Dark Times, both an acknowledgment of the immense challenges facing the world today and an expression of our commitment to working constructively and collectively towards a better future for people and the planet. This new cohort embodies that commitment, working in fields ranging from gender equity to labour rights and rural inequalities. They include a trade unionist campaigning for climate justice in the UK, a Georgian humanitarian expert with the UNHCR, a journalist covering social, environmental, and economic rights in Cuba, a Colombian-American community organiser, and a communications strategist working across conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa.
The Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) programme’s mission is to create and support a global community of changemakers who are working to address social and economic inequalities. Through research, education, and practice, AFSEE supports and encourages dialogue and collaboration between a range of stakeholders, including academics, activists, artists, practitioners, and policymakers to develop new thinking, ideas, and values-led approaches to tackling social and economic inequalities.
Change requires incredible thought and effort. It also requires powerful stories that remind us of our humanity and collective power. Inequity depends on distance — emotional, political and moral. The most effective advocacy closes that distance, helping people see both their connection to injustice and their ability to change what once seemed impossible.Tess Ingram, 2026-27 Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity
Six of the sixteen new Fellows are Residential Fellows and will undertake the MSc in Inequalities and Social Science at LSE during the 2026-27 academic year. They and their ten Non-Residential peers will also participate in the four fellowship modules during their active fellowship year. The modules, led by AFSEE Executive Director Professor Armine Ishkanian and AFSEE Academic Lead Dr George Kunnath, are informed by the LSE International Inequalities Institute’s research-rich environment.
The interdisciplinary modules include academic lectures, roundtables with Senior AFSEE Fellows, engagement with researchers and practitioners, leadership training, community-building, and narrative and communications skills work. This will also be the third year that AFSEE Non-Residential Fellows will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Social and Economic Equity upon successful completion of the active fellowship year.
The 2026-27 Cohort of Fellows have been chosen from an impressive worldwide pool of applicants that has grown every year since the funded fellowship was established in 2016 via a record £64 million grant to LSE from the Atlantic Philanthropies. When they complete their active fellowship year, the Fellows will join a lifelong community of members from all the seven Atlantic Fellows programmes, who collectively focus on work to advance fairer, healthier, and more inclusive societies.
Applications for the 2027-28 Cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity will open in October 2026. If you want to receive updates and information about the AFSEE programme, please register your interest here.
The 2026-27 Cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity are:
Adriana Romero-Barreto (Colombia)
Aliasgher Janmohammed (Tanzania/South Africa)
Daniel Garcia (Colombia/United States)
Eileen Sosin Martínez (Cuba)
Evita Das (India)
Farah Outeldait (France/Algeria)
Fridoon Hamidi (Afghanistan)
George Badurashvili (Georgia)
George Onuorah (Nigeria)
Jazmin Burgess (United Kingdom)
Josh Creaser (Australia)
Liam Kennedy (United Kingdom/Ireland)
Manisha Wijesinghe (Sri Lanka/Hong Kong)
Mohamed Ali Taruri (Somalia)
Pablo Benítez (El Salvador)
Tess Ingram (Australia/Ireland)