Leo Levine

Background

About Leo Levine

Hi, I’m Leo Levine. I’m a graduate student at Columbia University, where I’m writing my thesis on EU policy toward Belarusian refugees in Poland and Lithuania, looking at how political, institutional, and normative factors shape national asylum responses within the EU framework. My broader interests lie in migration, collective memory, and governance across Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space. I currently work at the Harriman Institute helping run public programs on US-Russia relations, and I’m also a research assistant for a historian writing a book on the remembrance of Stalingrad. Over the years, I’ve worked across sectors: coordinating educational initiatives at a UK-based non-profit, interning in finance (S&P Capital IQ, Daniel Stewart & Co, Bank Winter), and organizing fashion events during London Fashion Week. That range has taught me how to adapt quickly, communicate across cultures, and keep things moving, whether I'm managing speakers, digging into archives, or translating complex ideas for broader audiences. Fluent in English, Russian, German, and French, I’m always looking for opportunities at the intersection of research, policy, and public engagement, especially in contexts involving migration, civil society, and Eastern Europe.