International Senior Thesis Research Grant Awardees
Northwestern undergraduates can apply for the Roberta Buffett Institute's International Senior Thesis Research Grant to pursue independent research abroad for their senior thesis during the summer or during an academic year break. Learn about recent senior thesis research supported by the Institute.
2025–26
Xuhare Bereikua
Economics and Mathematics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘27
Xuhare Bereikua received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2026. She traveled to Spain with support from the Roberta Buffett Institute to conduct research for her thesis “From Communal Traditions to Cooperative Equilibrium: The Basque Case.” Through archival analysis of the Basque region during and after the Franco dictatorship, she studied how models of collective ownership, cooperation, and communal economic traditions drive the region’s legacy of strong economic performance.
Hana Dedić
Political Science and Economics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Hana Dedić received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. With support from the Roberta Buffett Institute, she traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina to conduct research for her thesis “Faith, Finance, and Political Change: Islamic Banking as a Catalyst for Economic Development Across the Global South.” She studied the impact of Islamic financial institutions on social welfare, exposure to conflict, and institutional stability. Focusing on Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, she explored the role Islamic banking plays in regional political fragmentation, levels of violent conflict, populist attitudes, and development outcomes for Muslim minority populations.
Max Garon
Economics and International Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Max Garon received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. He traveled to Peru with the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support to conduct research for his thesis “Indigeneity, Violence, and Memory in Peru’s Internal Conflict,” where he explored how Indigenous identity shaped and influenced political violence throughout 20th century Peru. Drawing on oral history, state records, and firsthand accounts of insurgents’ experiences, he studied how Indigenous communities understood belonging and exclusion in the face of racism and rural marginalization.
Sarah Han
Journalism and Political Science, Medill School of Journalism, Media, & Integrated Marketing Communications '26
Sarah Han received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. She traveled to Seoul and Tokyo with support from the Roberta Buffett Institute to conduct research for her thesis “Why Do Elite Leaders Use Nuclear Weapons? Examining the Influence of Dispositional Factors on Elite Leaders’ Decisions to Acquire, Use, and Test Nuclear Weapons.” She visited the National Library of Korea and the National Diet Library of Japan to study biographies, interviews, and other archival materials on the nuclear decisions made by former heads of state Harry Truman, Kim Jong-il, and Eisaku Sato.
Anna Humphrey
French, Physics, and Political Science, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘27
Anna Humphrey received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2026. She traveled to France with support from the Roberta Buffett Institute to conduct research for her thesis “Party System Fragmentation and the Representation-Governability Tradeoff: Evidence from French Public Opinion.” Through archival research, she explored institutional insecurity and governmental dysfunction in contemporary French politics. Her analysis focused on how citizens perceive partisan polarization, governability, and institutional effectiveness in the face of parliamentary competition.
Wenqi Jia
History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Wenqi Jia received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2026. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, she traveled to China to conduct research for her thesis “Educating Empire: National Identity and Pan-Asian Ideals in Manchukuo’s Schools, 1932-1945.” Through primary source analysis of memoirs and campus recollections, she focused on the history of Manchukuo Nation-Building University to study how Manchukuo, the Japanese state that ruled Northeastern China, used higher education to promote ideological visions of pan-Asian unity under Japanese imperial leadership.
Anusha Kumar
Social Policy and Environmental Policy & Culture, School of Education and Social Policy ‘26
Anusha Kumar received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, she traveled to Chennai, India to conduct research for her thesis “From Scarcity to Solidarity: Mutual Aid as a Pathway to Food Sovereignty and Urban Resilience in Chennai, India.” Through interviews with community members working in food redistribution and justice, she studied the persistence of food security despite the state of Tamil Nadu’s food security welfare programs. Her research examined the ways food insecurity is compounded by climate change, poverty, and social inequality.
2024–25
Kaylyn Ahn
Social Policy and Legal Studies, School of Education and Social Policy ‘25
Kaylyn Ahn received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. With support from the Roberta Buffett Institute, Kaylyn travelled to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Belgrade, Serbia to conduct research for her thesis “A Divergent Justice: A Comparative Analysis of Command Responsibility in the Legal Systems of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.” She investigated how international humanitarian law has been incorporated differently across states, leading to stark contrasts in war crimes prosecutions. Her work assessed the legal and political challenges of aligning international law with local justice systems and explored new insights into how post-war societies confront accountability. Yuliia Chernova
History and Economics, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘27
Yuliia Chernova received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, Yuliia travelled to Finland and Germany to conduct research for her thesis “Neutrality and Diplomacy: Finland’s Post-WWII Economic Recovery Amid Geopolitical Tensions.” She examined how Finland’s political balancing act—maintaining neutrality between East and West without formally joining the Non-Aligned Movement—played a key role in its rapid post-WWII recovery. Through archival research, Yuliia highlighted the diplomatic complexities of Finland’s relationship with the Soviet Union as a useful parallel for similar geopolitical pressures faced by Ukraine and Baltic states today. Lula Fox
Anthropology and Environmental Policy and Culture, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Lula Fox received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. With support from the Roberta Buffett Institute, Lula travelled to Guåhan (Guam) to conduct research for her thesis “nafa'maolek Ecologies: CHamoru Resurgence through Environmental Activism.” Her research assessed how Indigenous CHamoru activists resist U.S. militarization by grounding their environmental justice work in Indigenous identity, values, and cultural knowledge. Through participant observation and interviews with environmental justice activists, Lula offered a framework for understanding resistance as both political and cultural survival. Her work challenged dominant narratives that erase islander agency in conversations about Indigenous environmentalism in militarized Pacific territories. Hamza Haq
Political Science and International Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘25
Hamza Haq received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, Hamza travelled to Iraq to carry out research for his thesis “Beyond the State: Securing Iraq’s Holy Cities After U.S. Intervention.” He focused on the effects of post-Iraq War border security measures on religious rituals in key Shi’a holy cities such as Karbala, Najaf, and Samarra. . Dan Murrieta
History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘25
Dan Murrieta received the Roberta Buffett Institute’s Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. Dan travelled to Santiago, Chile to conduct research for his thesis “Nuevas canciones para nuevas sociedades: Folklore, Utopia, Radical Change, and Music in Chile and Cuba.” His research focused on the New Song Movement, national folklore, and Latin American visions of utopia and revolutionary change during the Cold War. In Santiago, he explored archival collections of textual, audiovisual, and oral histories of Nueva Canción. Dan examined the role of music, culture, and folklore in ideological struggles over the future of Latin America. Jun Park
Political Science and International Studies, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Jun Park received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant from the Roberta Buffett Institute in 2025. In Seoul, South Korea, he carried out research for his thesis “Reclaiming Urban Spaces: Bukchon Hanok Village Amid Overtourism.” His research explored how residents of Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul resist overtourism by asserting their collective urban rights over capitalist interests. Through document analysis and interviews with residents, activists, and policymakers, Jun studied how protests and advocacy against overtourism influence urban policy and provide new insights into the issue of sustainable urban governance amid rising global tourism pressures. Hannah Tsai
History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘25
Hannah Tsai received the Academic Year International Senior Thesis Grant from the Roberta Buffett Institute in 2024. In London, England, Hannah carried out research for her thesis “The Condemned Calico: Weaver Riots and the Moral Economy in the Context of the Calico Act of 1721.” By examining primary sources at the National Archives and British Library, she investigated the Calico Act, which banned the wearing of calico in Britain. She highlighted the plight of working-class weavers and reassessed the social and cultural implications of the Act, a topic that resonates with current debates around globalization, protectionism, and labor. Vincent Xiong
Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘26
Vincent Xiong received the Roberta Buffett Institute’s Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2025. In Münster, Germany, Vincent carried out research for his thesis “Exploration of Supramolecular Platinum Fluorescence in Hydrophobic and Lipid Film Environments.” Vincent investigated possibilities for the design of supramolecules designed to deliver multiple drug molecules to injured tissue sites to promote healing. At the University of Münster, he used advanced chemical synthesis and purification tools to form an experimental foundation for his research on future clinical applications for drug delivery systems designed to reduce inflammation with fewer side effects. 2023–24
Diana Deng
Radio/Television/Film, School of Communication '25
Diana Deng received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, Diana travelled to China and Chile to conduct research for her thesis “Between China, Chile, and South Africa: A Creative Collaboration in Poetry.” She examined literary and political connections across the Global South during the Cold War and engaged in archival research and literary analysis of three poets: Ai Qing of China, Pablo de Rokha of Chile, and Dennis Brutus of South Africa. The project offered insights into how poetry can build cross-continental connections and reimagine global alliances through shared anti-imperialist struggle. Lilah Goldberg
Human Development in Context, School of Education and Social Policy ‘25
Lilah Goldberg received the Roberta Buffett Institute’s Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. In Paris, France and Rome, Italy, Lilah conducted research for her thesis “Not Just Sweet Treats: Exploring the Perceived Socio-Emotional Experiences of Celiac Disease through the Lens of French and Italian Gluten-Free Bakery and Restaurant Employees.” Lilah explored how food service workers in gluten-free bakeries and restaurants interact with the celiac community. Her findings suggested gluten-free spaces can foster community, care, and inclusion.She also offered insights into improving food service practices as employees gain a deep understanding of the emotional toll of living with celiac disease. Suejin Clara Oh
Global Health Studies and Political Science, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘25
Suejin Clara Oh received the Roberta Buffett Institute’s Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. Suejin travelled to New Zealand to carry out research for her thesis “Exploring the Intersections of Socioeconomic Factors, Religious Affiliation, and Political Ideologies on the Efficacy of COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures in New Zealand: An In-depth Examination within the Māori Community.” By examining public health records and conducting interviews with Māori leaders and community members, Suejin presented a culturally grounded analysis of how public health policy succeeded—or fell short—in addressing the needs of Indigenous populations. Cate Osborne
History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences ‘25
Cate Osborne received the Summer International Senior Thesis Grant in 2024. With the Roberta Buffett Institute’s support, Cate travelled to the Annapurna Conservation Area in Nepal to conduct research for her thesis “Encouraging Environmentalism: Conservation Initiatives that buffer Nepalese Monarchical Legitimacy.” She investigated whether Nepal’s conservation policies have delivered meaningful benefits to marginalized communities. Cate conducted historical research at local institutions and field interviews with local residents to examine how issues of caste, gender, and class intersect with environmental justice in Annapurna and what they reveal about the broader role of conservation in development policy. 
