Leela Fredlund

Leela Fredlund is an intern with CSPO’s CCEIL-AZ project, where she is examining qualitative results from community dialogues to help devise a framework for community deliberations. She is particularly interested in ensuring community dialogues amplify historically underrepresented voices, especially considering the contentions surrounding nuclear waste. While much of her experience thus far has been in the space policy sector (having interned for NASA and UNOOSA and conducted planetary science research in the past), she is excited to explore nuclear policy this summer. Leela brings experience with survey experiments and a background in science policy to this role, having graduated with a double major in Physics and Political Science from MIT earlier this year.

Currently, Leela is serving as social coordinator for the MIT DC program for the first leg of her two gap years before law school. She has previously held multiple DEI and leadership positions, including Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion (2022) and President (2023) of MIT’s Panhellenic Association, MIT IDHR Student Liaison (2022-2023), and various leadership positions in her living community and theater group. She looks forward to leveraging law school to build a career in international science policy, advocate for peaceful uses of scientific advancement, and promote equitable access to knowledge and education worldwide. Outside of science policy, she enjoys political philosophy, quirky coffee shops, secondhand books, water polo, soapmaking, meandering walks, and theatre.