As a nonprofit research and education organization, training and developing future leaders in economics and public policy is an important part of ITIC’s mission. We are proud to announce our 2025 fall class of interns, a diverse group joining ITIC from universities across the US and Europe. 

To apply for future ITIC internships, please contact Wesley Hill (whill@iticnet.org).

Blake Amann is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.A in Central European Studies and incoming master’s student at King’s College London. He is a former Fulbright Scholar, through which he taught English in Tashkent, Uzbekistan for two years and traveled extensively around Central Asia. He is interested in international energy transition, geopolitical risk, and the political economy of resource-rich countries. He speaks English, French, and Russian.

Peter Busscher is a graduate student at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service studying Russia, Central Asia, and international business. His research interests include cartography, sociopolitical legacies of the Soviet system, and trade agreements. He has completed various academic and private sector projects in Russian and recently studied abroad in Kazakhstan.

Eliza Fox is a graduate of the University of Denver with a B.A. in International Studies and Russian. She speaks Russian and her main interests are the politics of the South Caucasus, Russian domestic affairs, and U.S.-Russia relations. At ITIC, she has developed a growing interest in Eurasian energy dynamics. Eliza hopes to continue her work at Eurasia-focused think tanks in the future.

Wilhem A. Hausmann is a recent graduate of Penn State University with a B.S. in Political Science and a minor in English. A Pi Sigma Alpha member, his studies focused on American politics, data analysis, and Middle East relations. He brings to this role a background in editing and film production.

Paulina Kachalova is a recent graduate from the University of St. Andrews, majoring in International Relations. Her main interests lie in international law and how the rising advancement of technology will impact the global economy. She hopes to continue her work by contributing to legal policy development.

Andres Loretdemola is a graduate student at Georgetown University in the Master of Science in Foreign Service program. His current focus is Russian/Eurasian politics and has a background in China/MENA. He speaks all six UN languages.

Kirill Shabalin is a recent graduate of Columbia University with a specialization in Comparative Politics. He has a strong interest in economic and security cooperation between South Asia and the post-Soviet space. He has received fellowships from the governments of Japan, India, and the U.S. Kirill aims to bring his perspective on South Asia to the evolving dynamics of Central Asia, particularly in relation to China and Russia.

Erin Zhu is a recent graduate of Tufts University with a B.A. in International Relations. Her academic interests include resource security and Sino-MENA relations. She is particularly interested in how access to energy and critical minerals shapes international trade and state relations.