Research

Illegal goods can have deadly consequences. Whether it’s a counterfeit face mask that doesn’t provide a frontline worker adequate protection from COVID-19, or a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl (a synthetic painkiller 50-100 times more potent than morphine), millions of lives can be at risk.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers and students at George Mason University is working to stop such criminal activity. Thanks to a nearly $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)—and a $16,000 grant supplement awarded to two undergraduates on the team—they will be investigating how to disrupt illicit supply chains, influence policy, and ultimately save lives.

A Guggenheim ‘Distinguished Scholar Grant’ will help the Schar School’s Philip Martin and colleagues to study post-conflict peacebuilding in Côte d’Ivoire.

A new $400,000 grant will enable Schar School and CINA experts to combat illicit trade that disguises itself as cybercurrency transactions.