Since its establishment in 2012, the Columbia Global Center Santiago has served as a vital link between Columbia University and Latin America, fostering collaboration in education, research, and innovation. Building on decades of academic and cultural ties between Columbia and Chile, the Center integrates the university’s expertise with regional knowledge to address both global and local challenges. Through educational programs, research initiatives, public events, and alumni engagement, the Santiago Center provides a platform for impactful partnerships and knowledge exchange.

The Santiago Center’s work is guided by four broad thematic pillars, which reflect the Center’s commitment to addressing societal challenges through collaboration, innovation, and academic excellence.

• Climate, Energy & Sustainability: Recognizing Chile’s vulnerability to climate change, the Center leverages Columbia’s expertise in climate science and policy to address pressing environmental challenges.
• Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences: The Center fosters critical thinking and cultural exchange through initiatives such as the 2022 publication of the book Columbia University and Chile: Over 100 Years of History.
• Journalism: The Center promotes journalistic excellence through partnerships with the Columbia Journalism School, focusing on issues like combating misinformation and advancing press freedom.
• Democracy: Events and research initiatives foster dialogue and critical thinking on issues of governance, civic participation, the strengthening of democratic values, and the evolving role of technology in democratic societies, among other crucial topics. 

Programs and Initiatives 

Student Travel Awards for Field Research

Starting in 2024, the Santiago Center offers a research grant to foster academic exploration and cross-cultural exchange for Columbia University graduate students conducting field research in Chile. This initiative is a result of an agreement between the Center and Universidad Católica’s (UC) unique network of Research Centers and Stations. The grant provides up to $10,000 to master’s and PhD students from any Columbia school or affiliate (including Barnard College and Teachers College), covering travel expenses, station fees, and living costs. Applicants can explore research opportunities at three stations: Coastal Marine Research Station (Las Cruces), Local Development, Education, and Interculturality Center (Villarrica), and Cape Horn International Center (Puerto Williams).

Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship

Expanding on a successful pilot program in Amman, the Santiago Center now hosts forcibly displaced scholars from the humanities and social sciences. These fellows gain access to resources, mentorship, and a supportive academic environment, enabling them to rebuild their careers and contribute meaningfully to global scholarship.

Columbia Global Internship Program

Columbia Global (CG) is a partnership that groups all Columbia University global initiatives. Launched in 2024, this program offers both undergraduate and graduate students internship opportunities that contribute to CG-specific initiatives supporting social impact in New York City and globally. Interns work alongside experts, faculty, and academics to engage in the design, implementation, and evaluation of CG strategy, programs, or operations under the mentorship of CG staff. The program is paid and open to students from any school within Columbia University, aligning with various School or Program practicum requirements.

Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University

This program offers a fully-funded, nine-month residency for exceptional leaders committed to addressing critical challenges in their communities and countries. These emerging visionaries, from both the United States and around the world, gain the tools, networks, and perspectives needed to enhance their impact. At Columbia, they engage in an immersive program combining academic, skills-based, and experiential learning, designed by Columbia University in collaboration with the Obama Foundation.

Impact Stories

Vanessa Fiuza

Vanessa, a Brazilian MA student in Human Rights at Columbia University, embarked on a three-month research journey in Chile in October 2024 as the first recipient of the Santiago Center’s research grant. Working at Universidad Católica’s Local Development, Education, and Interculturality Center in Villarrica, her research, involving interviews and community visits, contributed to an Anthropological Report with a gender-focused lens. “As an advocate for women’s and Indigenous rights, this grant offered a unique chance to blend my passions with field experience. I’m especially interested in how Mapuche women leaders perceive their connections to land, nature, and ancestry, which adds depth to my studies of Latin American Indigenous perspectives and Ecofeminism, a theme I am exploring in my thesis on Amazonian women. [This] builds on my previous work with Quechua communities in Cusco on gender-based violence.” She aims to expand her expertise on women’s and Indigenous rights and climate issues in Latin America, whether through a future PhD or work in international organizations. As a writer, she sees this experience as an inspiring chapter for her future publications.

David Petit

A member of the 2024-2025 cohort of the Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program and based at the Santiago Global Center, Venezuelan historian David Petit is researching inequality, digital gaps, and social inclusion of older adults in Chile’s Valparaíso region, with the aim of positively influencing public policy: “I am incredibly grateful to the Santiago Center and Columbia Global for this opportunity. From both an academic and professional standpoint, it’s a perfect moment to dive into research I have been building on for years. This is not just a project—it’s a life goal. I’m driven by the opportunity to make a positive impact, no matter how small, and this gives me the tools to continue my work in public policy, innovation, and digital transformation for older adults.”

Brenda Rain

A student in the M.S. in Sustainability Management program at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, Brenda is part of the first cohort of the Columbia Global Internship Program. With a solid background in the public sector and a passion for sustainability, Brenda’s internship at the Santiago Center focuses on connecting Columbia’s academic resources with Chile’s priorities in sustainability, climate change, and public health. “The opportunity to stay connected to my country while aligning my work with the subject matter of my master’s program was compelling. I’ve spent most of my career in the public sector and felt I could contribute significantly by leveraging my understanding of the national public ecosystem.” She considers the opportunity to bridge Columbia’s resources with local contexts particularly meaningful: “The Santiago Center’s role in promoting the Columbia-Chile connection and fostering global partnerships with specific localities can have a transformative impact on Chile. The interdisciplinary nature of the Center’s work offers a unique chance to explore how different academic lines converge to address global challenges.”