Saumitra Jha Selected as Finalist for the Falling Walls Social Science Breakthrough of the Year

Saumitra Jha Selected as Finalist for the Falling Walls Social Science Breakthrough of the Year

Jha is among ten finalists in the Social Sciences & Humanities whose pioneering projects are breaking down walls between science and society.
Falling Walls Science Summit Global Call Finalist graphic and photo of Saumitra Jha

Congratulations to Saumitra Jha, associate professor of political economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and affiliated faculty at CDDRL, who has been selected as a finalist for the Falling Walls Global Call for Science Breakthroughs 2026. The Falling Walls Science Summit is the international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral forum for global science leaders. They debate on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall: Which are the next walls to fall?

Jha was selected in the Social Sciences & Humanities category for his research, "Breaking the Wall of the Ethnic Growth Trap," which presents new evidence on how societies can escape ethnic conflict and unlock the economic benefits of diversity.

Read an interview with Jha from Falling Walls.