The Mershon Center for International Security Studies bids farewell to our recent cohort of postdoctoral scholars at the end of summer. Sefa Secen, Zaynab Quadri, and Brooks Marmon are set to embark on new journeys in their academic careers. 

Brooks Marmon showcased his scholarly versatility by publishing a wide range of works. He published his book Pan-Africanism Versus Partnership, a biographical journal article, and several public-facing pieces, including an article for the Washington Post comparing southern African settler regimes with the contemporary United States. Opportunities to connect with the Mershon community deepened his scholarship and expanded his professional network. He is eager to continue his academic contributions with several forthcoming publications. 

Zaynab Quadri organized the "Shock and Awe Revisited" conference, which looked back on the legacies of the Iraq War. She also secured a book contract for the forthcoming Empire by Contract: The Political Economy of the Post-1945 U.S. Security State with Columbia University Press. Over the past two years, Quadri has enhanced her language skills by studying advanced Arabic and working with the community at Mershon. This fall, she will begin as a postdoctoral fellow in the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and International Security Studies at Yale University. 

Sefa Secen has secured a tenure-track faculty position at Nazareth University and a book contract with Cambridge University Press. He also co-authored a Cambridge “Element” on immigrants and refugees in Turkey with Mershon visiting scholar Serhun Al. We congratulate Sefa and his family on the birth of baby Nora! He expressed his gratitude for the supportive environment at Mershon, stating, "Mershon will always remain an intellectual home—a place where I have thrived, grown, and forged lifelong connections." 

Their departures mark both an end and a beginning, as each scholar carries forward the insights and connections gained over the past two years.  We thank them for their contributions to the Mershon Center.