Institute for Regional and International Studies
Biography Heather S. Sonntag is a PhD candidate in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, specializing in Central Asian Cultural History. Her dissertation project will utilize visual culture to assess Russian and Soviet domination of local populations in Central Asia. The project will focus on the photographic representations of Central Asia compiled in …
Biography Adalbert Gerald Soosai Raj is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Sciences and Education at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Sciences from UW–Madison and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from College of Engineering Guindy (CEG) in Chennai, India. Gerald’s research primarily focuses on teaching Computer Science (CS) to students …
Biography Lisa de Sousa Dias is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science. Her primary interests focus on how power, social movements, and violence intersect in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to commencing study at UW, she worked as a researcher for a National Geographic photojournalist on a project investigating how environmental change is impacting …
Biography John Stavrellis performed archival research at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, Maharashtra, India, with the primary goal of investigating Indian legal traditions for examples of how prejudices towards marginalized communities were encoded into law. Learn more about John’s fellowship experience here.
Biography Jelena Subotic is a graduate student in Political Science. Her work lies at the cross-section of comparative politics and international relations, with the special focus on transitional justice, human rights, and international organizations. Jelena’s dissertation explores the proliferation of international models of transitional justice (war crimes trials or truth commissions) and political contestation these …
Biography Marta-Laura Suska is a third year doctoral student in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her research focussed on urban violence and preventive policies in Brazil, specifically the Pacification Police Unit in Rio de Janeiro and the Pact for Life in Recife. Before coming to UW Madison, Marta did her Master of Philosophy …
Biography Atsushi Tajima conducted pre-dissertation research on the construction of racial identity and racism in Japan during the summer of 2002. Read about Atsushi’s fellowship experience here.
Rachel (she/her) is a PhD Student in Political Science who works at the intersection of environment x tech(ology)(nocracy) x labor politics. She studies the global political economy of technological solutions such as AI, ‘eco-cities’, and our renewable energy transition. For her dissertation, she will conduct multi-sited fieldwork in Monterrey & Oaxaca (Mexico), Detroit and Laredo …
Teresa Melgar is an international student from the Philippines and a doctoral candidate in Sociology. Prior to her graduate studies at UW–Madison, she worked for over 12 years with a variety of non-government organizations seeking to promote political and economic reforms in the Philippines. Teresa has strong academic and professional interests in comparative studies of …
Biography Aloke Thakore is a graduate student in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He was a working journalist before he decided to pursue the doctoral program. He has worked for CNBC in Asia and the Statesman, Calcutta, and continues to be a freelance journalist. His interests, both academic and professional, are in media …