Indiana University Research has appointed Jessica Steinberg and Eduardo Brondizio as co-executive directors of the Ostrom Workshop.

Jessica Steinberg. Photo provided by Jessica Steinberg Steinberg and Brondizio will advance critical efforts to achieve the IU 2030 strategic plan Pillar 2 goals for research excellence and statewide impact. They will bolster collaboration across research programs, expand global leadership in governance studies, and increase student engagement through mentorship and partnerships with centers and programs across IU. Steinberg, chair of the Department of International Studies in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, joined the workshop in 2014 and has served as a program director since 2021. Her scholarship has shaped global conversations on governance, natural resource politics and conflict.

“The Ostrom Workshop is a place of craftsmanship and community, where we interrogate and address a wide range of collective-action problems in a dynamic and collaborative space,” Steinberg said. “I am honored to assume this role, and I am especially excited to do so together with Eduardo.”

Brondizio, an IU Distinguished Professor of Anthropology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has dedicated nearly four decades to researching the Amazon. He was awarded the 2023 Volvo Environment Prize and the 2025 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for his work on human-environment interaction.

Eduardo Brondizio. Photo by Tore Markund “The Ostrom Workshop has long been a beacon for interdisciplinary thinking,” Brondizio said. “I am excited to work with Jess to help expand its reach and deepen its impact, especially in how we engage with global challenges and connect with communities across Indiana and beyond.”

Founded in 1973 by Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom and Vincent Ostrom, the workshop is a vital hub for interdisciplinary scholarship. The workshop is among the centrally administered Centers, Institutes, Museums and Service Centers, overseen by Scott Michaels, associate vice president for centers and core facilities in IU Research.

“The Ostrom Workshop is a model for collaborative, interdisciplinary research that addresses complex governance challenges, creating opportunities for students and faculty at IU and around the world,” Michaels said. “Professors Brondizio and Steinberg will expand on the workshop’s rich history of building research networks that obtain external funding to address pressing issues of our time and strengthen IU’s global reputation in the process.”

“We feel privileged to work with the extraordinary group of workshop program directors,” Brondizio and Steinberg said in a combined statement. “Our phenomenal staff and the vibrant international community of scholars and practitioners who extend the workshop’s reach will enrich its mission across the globe.”

Steinberg and Brondizio succeed Scott Shackelford, who was named associate vice president for research and vice chancellor for research at IU Bloomington this fall. Under his leadership, the workshop revitalized and expanded its research programs; returned postdoctoral fellowships and working groups; launched new initiatives, including one on space governance and the Ostrom Incubator for Research Excellence; established the workshop’s first bylaws and Advisory Council; and expanded funding from $431,000 to more than $7 million.

The workshop also celebrated 50 years of Ostrom governance research at WOW7, the largest and most diverse Ostrom Workshop conference to date, and launched “Ostrom Workshop 101,” a free course open to all.

Dan Melnick is assistant director of research communications.