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Khalil Al-Wazir, a PhD candidate in the department of political science in U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science, , joining a select group of outstanding scholars at a one-year, fully-funded master’s degree program in global affairs at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The prestigious graduate fellowship is awarded annually to scholars with exemplary leadership and the ability to bridge and understand political and cultural differences.  

An aspiring diplomat, Al-Wazir’s accomplishments include authoring a book, Centrist Reflections on Political Philosophy, contributing to two United Nations secretary-general reports and being awarded the UN Department for Safety and Security Under-Secretary-General’s Excellence Award.

Al-Wazir is currently working with U of T’s to organize a workshop, in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace, focused on engaging non-state armed groups in peace processes.

"Joining the Schwarzman Scholars is a unique opportunity that I do not take lightly,” Al-Wazir said. "It is, to my knowledge, the only scholarship with a diplomatic mission focused on bridging the differences between the two great powers, which is increasingly a necessary condition for resolving the most intractable conflicts of our day.

“I am heading into this program with open eyes and ears, ready to engage with fellow leaders on the world's most pressing challenges in a shared commitment to peace, progress and prosperity."