Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellowship Project Descriptions
As a part of the Buffett Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program application via SOAP, students are provided with the option to indicate up to two research projects for which they would like to apply and must submit a separate cover letter for each project in order to be considered. Students are asked to provide the link(s) to the project(s) for which they were seeking to apply and note in the title of the cover letter the project they were applying for with that letter (i.e., "ProjectName, Your LastName Cover Letter"). Learn about the research projects below.
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Any eligible undergraduate student is encouraged to apply for one or two of the following faculty projects via SOAP.
Advancing Reliable Health Measurement in Dementia and Cognitive Aging in a Latin American Context
Already a global challenge, dementia disproportionately affects those from Latin American countries due to a confluence of social determinants of health. While this population is a high-priority investigation area for advancing equitable global brain health, the dearth of epidemiological information has rendered cross-cultural comparisons difficult. This project will leverage a federally funded study that characterized multidimensional aspects of health in a sample of healthy agers and those diagnosed with either Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type. The primary purpose of this project is to examine the extent to which cognitive status differentiates health outcomes.
- Faculty Mentor: Emily Ho, Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid
Authoritarian International Propaganda in the Age of Digital Media
Authoritarian regimes have long relied on propaganda to shape how citizens understand politics, evaluate rulers, and interpret world events. Digital platforms have reshaped who carries authoritarian international propaganda and how it circulates. This project addresses gaps in existing scholarship by conceptualizing authoritarian international propaganda as a multi-actor, platform-embedded system and by studying its operation in English-language video content about China and Russia.
- Faculty Mentor: Yingdan Lu, Assistant Professor, School of Communication (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Remote
Environmental and Social Effects of Minerals Mining in Southern Hemisphere Nations
Since 2023, Northwestern has collaborated with universities in South America and Australia to understand the effects of critical minerals mining. Minerals are used in technologies including lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, data centers, and solar panels, among other uses. Research into the effects of critical minerals mining through the Center for Sustainable, Resilient, Responsible Global Minerals Supply Chains (SuReMin) has uncovered substantial data gaps that impede the ability to characterize these impacts using tools like life cycle assessment. This project aims to continue to build datasets and analyses to address the shortcomings unveiled by this new research.
- Faculty Mentor: : Jennifer Dunn, Professor, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + Academic Year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on campus, and about 2 weeks in Santiago, Chile or Bolivia
Global Classroom: Enhancing Linguistic Proficiency and Intercultural Competence in Chinese as a Second Language via Virtual Exchanges
This project examines Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners' linguistic growth and intercultural competence gained from regular virtual exchanges with Chinese native speakers. Virtual exchange has been proven effective in improving second language proficiency and intercultural competence—the ability to shift perspectives and communicate with people from other cultures. However, most studies rely on students' self-reported data. This project uses conversation analysis, an innovative qualitative method used to study linguistic and sociocultural norms through fine-grained analysis of naturally-occurring conversations, to collect and analyze audio and/or video recordings of conversations between a Chinese learner and a native speaker over the course of one school year.
- Faculty Mentor: Yan Zhou, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on-campus
Global Learning and Linking Opportunities to Bring Equity into Learning Health Systems (GLLOBE-LHS)
Despite significant advances in medical science and healthcare systems, health inequities remain a major challenge across the globe. The healthcare system in Europe, designed to be universal, still faces significant gaps between evidence and policy responses to health inequities. To address these disparities in Switzerland, researchers from the University of Lucerne and Northwestern University partnered to design and implement a course focused on health equity in the context of Learning Health Systems. Building on work started in 2024, this project will focus on the co-creation and implementation of a health equity course designed to provide early-career doctoral researchers and professionals in Switzerland with the tools and strategies necessary to effectively incorporate equity-driven approaches into their work.
- Faculty Mentor: Faith Summersett Williams, Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, off campus with travel to Lucerne, Switzerland
Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) Livelihood Business Plans Case Study
While the Graduation Program has strong evidence showing it increases consumption, assets, income, and revenue, more research is needed. As a first step, understanding the minimum investments and expected returns of key livelihoods can help identify the thresholds that prevent the poor from escaping poverty. To build future research on the Graduation model, Northwestern University’s Global Poverty Research Lab (GPRL) is seeking undergraduate research fellows to conduct semi-structured one-on-one interviews to develop business plans that estimate basic investments and expected returns to common livelihoods and enterprises in Malawi and the Philippines.
- Faculty Mentor: Dean Karlan, Professor, Kellogg School of Management (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: In person, off campus in Malawi, Philippines for 4 weeks, on campus for 2 weeks
Intonation and Pronunciation Practices for Improving Spanish Phonetic Production in Accelerated Elementary Courses
This project examines the development of pronunciation and intonation in elementary-level Spanish students at Northwestern University. The study evaluates whether a series of intonation activities, designed as part of the course curriculum, significantly contribute to improving students’ Spanish phonetic production. The project's overall goal is to determine the effectiveness of these activities in the context of teaching Spanish as a second language and to provide empirical evidence on the extent to which intonation-focused practice improves students 'pronunciation. In addition, this research also aims to offer new insights for curriculum development and pedagogical practices in accelerated language courses.
- Faculty Mentor: Wilmar Lopez-Barrios, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on-campus
Neurological Disorders in the Republic of Guinea
The Republic of Guinea in West Africa is home to more than 12 million people and 5 neurologists. The current work includes a cohort of more than 1000 people with epilepsy being studied for access to neurological care, smartphone-based electroencephalography, and outcomes related to optimizing epilepsy treatment with antiseizure medicines. An additional cohort studies point-of-care antibody testing for patients with spinal cord and visual disorders (i.e. paralysis and/or blindness) consistent with multiple sclerosis or neuromyelitis optica.
- Faculty Mentor: Farrah Mateen, Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: In person, on campus, with travel to the Republic of Guinea
Platform Visibility of Political Protests through Visual News Framing across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nepal
This study investigates the visual news framing of large-scale anti-corruption protests in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nepal in 2025. Using computational visual analysis, it analyzes the visual framing of international and domestic news coverage of the protests and compares differences in their visual features across these three Asian countries. It also seeks to examine the relationship between the features of these visual frames and their social media engagement as an indicator of platform visibility, controlling for the news media domain, story attributes, and country variables, using regression analysis. It examines how visual news framing contributes to the visibility of political mobilization in the Global South, potentially affecting the perceived legitimacy of protests and inspiring further political action.
- Faculty Mentor: Erik Nisbet, Professor, School of Communication (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Remote
Prevalence and Development of Food Allergy and Other Atopic Conditions Among Indian School-Age Children
Food allergy (FA) and atopic diseases are a significant public health concern in the U.S., with 8% of children and 11% of adults being diagnosed with FA. FA remains underexplored in India- particularly within the pediatric community. While food sensitization is higher (26.5%), confirmed FA is much lower (1.2%), reflecting environmental and cultural dietary differences amid growing concerns that increasing urbanization and Westernized lifestyles may elevate FA risk. This project aims to examine why the prevalence of atopic conditions is higher in the US compared to India. It will build on previous work done in north India. The next phase of this project will focus on replicating this work in west India and the US to compare the results of these new findings.
- Faculty Mentor: Ruchi Gupta, Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on campus
Revitalizing Palenquero: Current Language Initiatives in San Basilio de Palenque
This project aims to report on the current revitalization process of the Palenquero language spoken in the community of San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia. Beginning in the 20th century, the use of Palenquero declined due to discrimination and members of the community stopped transmitting the language to the next generation. While attitudes have since changed, the language is still not frequently spoken by young people. The purpose of this research is to investigate the current initiatives undertaken by community members to revitalize the language and share educational strategies with community members for the teaching of Palenquero.
- Faculty Mentor: Estilita Maria Cassiani Obeso, Assistant Professor, Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid with travel to Colombia
The Meaning of ‘Syrian’? National Identity during Political Transition
After 54 years of dictatorship and 14 years of war, the collapse of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 launched Syria into an uncertain political transition. This project examines the Syrian case to explore how such transitions might require not only the transformation of political institutions and practices but also the forging of new national identities. How can a society cope with domestic fractures, histories of brutalization, and deep distrust to forge a sense of peoplehood that genuinely includes and represents all its citizens?
- Faculty Mentor: Wendy Pearlman, Professor, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Remote
Pre-selected Students
Please apply to these positions only if you have received notification of your pre-selection.
Advancing Reliable Health Measurement in Dementia and Cognitive Aging in a Latin American Context
Already a global challenge, dementia disproportionately affects those from Latin American countries due to a confluence of social determinants of health. While this population is a high-priority investigation area for advancing equitable global brain health, the dearth of epidemiological information has rendered cross-cultural comparisons difficult. This project will leverage a federally funded study that characterized multidimensional aspects of health in a sample of healthy agers and those diagnosed with either Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia of the Alzheimer's Type. The primary purpose of this project is to examine the extent to which cognitive status differentiates health outcomes.
- Faculty Mentor: Emily Ho, Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid
Flagship Report for Global Water Security
Problems with water quality and quantity are increasing in frequency and severity throughout the world, with major implications for health and well-being. High-resolution, globally comparable data have been extremely helpful for understanding experiences with many global issues, e.g. food insecurity, but have not existed for water. To fill this gap, this project will utilize the Water InSecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales, the first cross-country equivalent way of measuring water access. These data, and the stories they tell, will be launched in a flagship report on Global Water Security at the UN Water meeting in the United Arab Emirates in December 2026. This report will describe how the WISE Scales can be used to estimate prevalence of water insecurity, make decisions about targeting resources, and to evaluate the impact of water interventions. It will lay out the evidence to date about how water insecurity shapes poor nutrition, mental health, and physical health, and the implications of water insecurity in the face of climate change.
- Faculty Mentor: Sera Young, Professor, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer is + academic year
- Project Location: In person, on campus
Global Classroom: Enhancing Linguistic Proficiency and Intercultural Competence in Chinese as a Second Language via Virtual Exchanges
This project examines Chinese as a second language (CSL) learners' linguistic growth and intercultural competence gained from regular virtual exchanges with Chinese native speakers. Virtual exchange has been proven effective in improving second language proficiency and intercultural competence—the ability to shift perspectives and communicate with people from other cultures. However, most studies rely on students' self-reported data. This project uses conversation analysis, an innovative qualitative method used to study linguistic and sociocultural norms through fine-grained analysis of naturally-occurring conversations, to collect and analyze audio and/or video recordings of conversations between a Chinese learner and a native speaker over the course of one school year.
- Faculty Mentor: Yan Zhou, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on-campus
Global Learning and Linking Opportunities to Bring Equity into Learning Health Systems (GLLOBE-LHS)
Despite significant advances in medical science and healthcare systems, health inequities remain a major challenge across the globe. The healthcare system in Europe, designed to be universal, still faces significant gaps between evidence and policy responses to health inequities. To address these disparities in Switzerland, researchers from the University of Lucerne and Northwestern University partnered to design and implement a course focused on health equity in the context of Learning Health Systems. Building on work started in 2024, this project will focus on the co-creation and implementation of a health equity course designed to provide early-career doctoral researchers and professionals in Switzerland with the tools and strategies necessary to effectively incorporate equity-driven approaches into their work.
- Faculty Mentor: Faith Summersett Williams, Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, off campus with travel to Lucerne, Switzerland
How the Developmental State Really Works: Evidence from Rwanda
Rwanda runs a very successful bureaucracy, delivering health, education, and infrastructure outcomes at breakneck speed. It does so with very few people and very few resources. How? This project studies imihigo, the Rwandan way in which government and society work together for development.
- Faculty Mentor: Leander Heldring, Associate Professor, Kellogg School of Management (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on campus and 1-2 weeks in Rwanda
The Role of Digital IDs in Reducing Financial Market Frictions and Improving Financial Inclusion and Credit Market Outcomes in Ethiopia
Do digital IDs reduce frictions in financial markets, and what are the effects of reducing these frictions on financial inclusion and credit market outcomes for households and small businesses, as well as on competition and loan terms offered by banks, fintech lenders, and microfinance institutes? To answer this research question, a team of researchers at Northwestern, Oxford, the World Bank, and Ethiopia's Policy Studies Institute are collaborating closely with Ethiopia's National ID Program (NIDP) to randomize the rollout of digital IDs across rural areas at the district level.
- Faculty Mentor: Sean Higgins, Associate Professor, Kellogg School of Management (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid, on campus with travel to Ethiopia
The Unthinkable Fight? Democracy and Violence across Borders
This book project pursues two aims. The book’s first aim is to offer a general account of the idea of “the unthinkable,” which has been heavily understudied in moral and political philosophy. The second aim, driving the bulk of the project, is more specific and applied. The faculty mentor wishes to show how a better theoretical grasp of “the unthinkable” can help address concrete moral questions concerning the relationship between democracy and violence, especially across international borders. Among these questions: can it be permissible to launch a military operation that will harm innocents abroad, in order to stave off a dangerous demagogue who might win an upcoming election at home? Can a democratic government send soldiers to support a manifestly unjust war abroad, to prevent them from fomenting a coup at home?
- Faculty Mentor: Shmuel Nili, Professor, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Remote
The World We Don't Know: Fallout from the Decline of Foreign Correspondents
This project is centered around a book about the decline in traditional foreign correspondents and the impact this loss may have had on democracy, a rise in isolationism at home and abroad, and a decline in Americans' knowledge about foreign news and the world. The book focuses on the importance of foreign correspondents and what the world loses without more of them. Currently, the research revolves around the declining numbers of foreign correspondents, in costs, data and the business models—as well as new models that are offering hope and transforming the business today—how more reporting is done by local reporters working as freelancers, or through social media, or novel collaborations among news outlets to save money on international investigative projects and cross-border consortiums.
- Faculty Mentor: Bob Rowley, Senior Lecturer, Medill School of Journalism (Evanston campus)
- Project Term: Summer + academic year
- Project Location: Hybrid
