Independent Researcher
About James Ron
Internationally Oriented Research Consultant and Communicator
In Brief
James Ron has a Ph.D. in sociology from UC Berkeley and worked for over twenty years as an academic in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Prior to that and during his time as a professor, James worked for a variety of advocacy and non-profit groups, including Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross, CARE, Life for a Child, and others. You can read more about his work on his professional website, Crunchbase profile, and his Academia.edu website.
About James Ron
Over the years, James has conducted research on political violence, human rights, civil society, international aid, and other international topics. His research has taken him to Africa, Central Asia, the former Yugoslavia, Latin America, and South Asia.
James Ron was born in the US and moved with his family to Jerusalem at the age of nine. He graduated from high school in the city and was drafted into the Israeli military from 1985 to 1988, where he served in Parachute Brigade #35.
Upon his release, James earned a BA in political science from Stanford University and worked at the Jerusalem bureau of the Associated Press.
In the early 1990s, James began working for Human Rights Watch, an international rights advocacy organization. He researched and published reports on violations of international human rights law in the Palestinian territories (see here and here) and in Turkey, and then conducted fieldwork for the rights group in Albania, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, and Russia. James maintained a 30-year relationship with Human Rights Watch, culminating in a national survey of U.S. public opinion towards human rights issues in 2018. (see here and here for a few articles based on that survey).
James Ron has done research with financial support of the International Committee of the Red Cross, CARE, Canadian government agencies, and US foundations, including the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.
In 2016, James received Ford funding to create Open Global Rights, a multilingual, online platform for international rights strategizing.
James’ son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was two years old. Soon after, James began volunteering for Life for a Child, an Australian charity supplying insulin to tens of thousands of children in low and middle-income countries.
James’ work for the group has taken him all over the world, including India, Mexico, Morocco, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Professional website: www.jamesron.com
Research blog: www.jamesron.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesron2/
Twitter: @james_ron01
My Personal Blog
James Ron
Senior Research professional