Former JF Ya-Wen Lei awarded the Berlin Prize for the 2026/27 academic year

Former Junior Fellow, Ya-Wen Lei (2013-16), professor of Sociology at Harvard University has been named a 2026-2027 Berlin Prize Fellow. The prize, distributed annually by the American Academy in Berlin, goes to distinguished US-based scholars, writers, composers, and artists who represent the highest standards of excellence in their fields, from the humanities and social sciences to journalism, public policy, fiction, the visual arts, and music composition. The prize provides time, space, and resources to pursue projects while collaborating with Berlin partners. Fellows share their work with audiences through lectures, readings, and performances central to the Academy's public program. Ya-Wen Lei will be a fellow during the fall of 2026 and will work on a project titled “Geopolitical Transplants: States, Firms, and the New Global Struggle for Technology.”