Announcing Liu Grant Awards 2025-26

Each year, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies awards grants to Notre Dame students and faculty fellows for research, conferences, internships, service, and study abroad during the academic year.

Breakdown of the 105 grants awarded by the Liu Institute during the 25-26 academic year. Graphic by Jennifer Lechtanski.

The Paul and Jane Roberts Endowment for Undergraduate Research in Asia supports undergraduate students with no prior exposure to or experience in Asia in pursuing a meaningful immersion opportunity abroad. Undergraduate students were awarded grants from the endowment and are indicated by an asterisk (*) in each category.

Undergraduate Student Research Grants

Avery Njau, "Purity and the Sydney Bubonic Plague Outbreak: Victorian Morality Codes, Sanitation, and Racialized Fear in Federation-Era Australia"*

Anna Jang, "Understanding Asian American Femininity Through Contemporary Performance Art," San Francisco and Berkeley, California, USA

Charlotte Kemble, "Cross-Cultural Mental Health Research in Taiwan and Japan"

David Su, "Performing Authenticity, Negotiating Agency: Heritage Tourism and Cultural Identity in Dali and Lijiang, Yunnan, China"

Maya Tello, "Restorative Justice Across Systems: A Comparative Study of Community-Based Reform in China and the United States"

Yinglun (Francis) Zeng, "When Risk Travels: Strategic Silence, Compressed Horizons, Moral Community, and Diaspora Politics across Toronto and London"

Yinglun (Francis) Zeng, "Fear and Resilience under the National Security Law: Civic Voices from Hong Kong"

Undergraduate Spotlight: Yinglun (Francis) Zeng

Yinglun (Francis) Zeng, a sophomore studying political science, spent winter break in Hong Kong to examine how civic identity, participation, and collective memory continue to evolve in the post–National Security Law era. He discovered that even amid changing political environments, forms of civic meaning, emotional belonging, and adaptive participation continue to evolve in complex, dynamic ways.

Photos provided by Yinglun Zeng ‘28: (top left) Residual traces of removed protest messages in a shared building space, (top right) Memorial boards in religious spaces, (bottom left) the remaining fire-burnt structures after the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court Fire, and a Victoria Park cartoon ballot box installation that references voting and civic participation (bottom right). — Photos provided by Yinglun (Francis) Zeng (clockwise from top left): Residual traces of removed protest messages in a shared building space, memorial boards in a religious space, a Victoria Park cartoon ballot box installation that references voting and civic participation, and the remaining fire-burnt structures after the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court Fire.

Notre Dame Study Abroad Program Grants

Jennifer Acosta, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail*

Vismay Attupuram, Notre Dame Summer: Engineering Abroad in Japan

Ella Bussell, Vietnam Summer: Introduction to Design Thinking

Maêva de Faria, India Summer: History, Government, Economics, and Culture*

Everton Albuquerque de Oliveira, Notre Dame Summer: Engineering Abroad in Japan*

Sage Emerson, Global Professional Experience, Beijing*

Mia Gonzalez, Global Professional Experience, Mumbai

Jessica Haro, Notre Dame Summer: Engineering Abroad in Japan*

Cailey Huang, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail

Henson Le, Vietnam Summer: Introduction to Design Thinking

Davniel McCoppin, Global Professional Experience, Beijing*

Evan Ng, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail*

Phoebe O’Rourke, Vietnam Summer: Introduction to Design Thinking*

Hayleen Pierrisssaint, Global Professional Experience, Hong Kong

Tavin Ray, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail*

Marco Saldivar, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail

Christa Akariza Kanamugire Shekinah, Notre Dame Summer: Engineering Abroad in Japan*

Maria Regina Cornejo Solorzano, India Summer: History, Government, Economics, and Culture

Rokhaya Sow, Global Professional Experience, Hong Kong

Celeste Cobian Valadez, Thailand Summer: Real Estate Development, Hospitality, Entertainment & Retail*

Madeline Xu, Beijing Summer: Philosophy of Culture, Art & Science

Undergraduate Language Study Grants

Miranda Alonso, Yonsei International, Seoul, Korea

Tori Banda, Taiwan Intensive Summer Language Program

John Barcena, Sophia University, Japan*

Yeonjin Cho, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea

Lily Church, Sophia University, Japan*

Rachel Cooper, Peking University Summer Chinese Language School, China

Jacklyn Messina, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Shanghai, China

Zaliyah Prendergast-Goldsberry, Yonsei International, Seoul, Korea

Yann Richer de Forges, Ocean Group Summer Marine Program in Taiwan

Davina Russell, CIEE Korean Studies Program*

Eva Talkington, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology*

Matthew Williams, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Shanghai, China

Chingyang (Stephen) Wu, Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Shanghai, China

Experiential Learning Grants

Students develop professional skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability through real-world scenarios and global experiences.

Fukushima Triple Disaster Research Project

The Notre Dame Fukushima research team stands with innkeeper Tomoko Kobayashi (fifth from left) outside her Futabaya Ryokan in Odaka, Fukushima. From left: Professor Noriko Hanabusa, Lucy Reardon, Sophie Ramos, Teresa Elfrink, Kobayashi, Aidan Machado, Ethan Chiang, and Professor Jessica McManus Warnell.

Five students joined a multidisciplinary research team to examine recovery on the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima triple disaster in Japan, led by Liu Institute faculty fellows Jessica McManus Warnell and Noriko Hanabusa.

Participating Students

Ethan Chiang, Business Analytics and Global Affairs

Teresa Elfrink, Environmental Engineering*

Aidan Machado, Biology and Japanese

Sophie Ramos, Finance and Strategic Management

Lucy Reardon, Finance and Political Science*

Read "Fukushima Fieldwork"

Bio Healthcare Solutions in South Korea

Three Notre Dame students take a quick selfie with their translator in front of the presentation stage.

Three students represented the University of Notre Dame at the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Ideathon for Bio Healthcare Solutions, held in Daegu, South Korea, from January 7 to 10, 2026. Participants received mentorship from professionals at international organizations and startups, brainstormed innovative bio-healthcare solutions, and collaborated with students from across the globe, including Korea, Japan, Türkiye, Malaysia, and Taiwan, on proposals and presentations.

Jennifer Leon, Global Affairs

Natalie Morris, Global Affairs*

Carter Powers, Environmental Engineering and Asian Studies

Graduate Student Research

Thomas Avery, M.A. in Early Christian Studies, Syriac Manuscript Critical Edition and Translation at the British Library in London

Elsa Barron, Ph.D. in Peace Studies and Political Science, "Outsized Islands: Pacific Leadership in Climate Justice Governance" (Fiji)

Kiana Bates, MFA, Studio Art, "The Abeno Project" (Japan)

Emily Beck, MFA, Ceramics, "Pachinko Parlor" (Japan)

Prakash BK, Ph.D. in Anthropology, "Caste and Mental Health: Navigating Dalits’ Suffering and Healing in a Psychiatric Hospital" (Nepal)

Phani Sai Rajya Lakshmi Devarakonda, Ph.D. in Sustainable Development, "Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Forest Clearing under the Forest Rights Act (FRA)" (India)

Thoranel Badalge Devmi Gamage, Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Conference Presentation of the “Role of Rossby-Wave Induced Subsidence in Developing Layered Mid-Tropospheric Dry Intrusion Over the Arabian-Sea Atmosphere, and its role in modulating the Indian Summer Monsoon” (Scotland)

Maximilian Holmström, Ph.D. in Anthropology, "Public and Private Space and Ritual Practice in the First Villages of the Şanlıurfa Region, Türkiye, Southwest Asia"

Shiza Kamil, MGA, "Sanitation, Gender of Household Head and Child Health in Pakistan: Evidence from DHS Data"

Nipunika Oshadhie Lecamwasam, Ph.D. in Peace Studies and Anthropology, "Everyday Violence in Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone Frontier"

Paul Lee, Ph.D. in Peace Studies and Sociology, Conference Participation in "Asian Diaspora Jam" (California)

Saehwan Lee, Ph.D. in Sociology, Varieties of Threat: Young Men and the Making of South Korea’s Far Right

Yeonsuk Lee, Ph.D. in Anthropology, Tall al-Handquq South Archaeological Project 2026 (Jordan)

Xinyue Liu, Ph.D. in Anthropology, "The Desire Machines: Generative AI and Generational Aspirations in Contemporary China"

Adam Matvya, Ph.D. in History, Conference Presentation, “‘We are Merely Poor Dervishes’: Muslim-Maratha Friendship in Persian Letters” (Wisconsin)

Inha Park, Ph.D. in Italian Studies, "Teaching 'Dante in East Asia' and Research" (South Korea)

Sunghyun Park, Ph.D. in Anthropology, "Rice Production, Water Access, and Community Formation in the Korean Bronze Age: Integrating GIS Spatial Analysis and UAV-Based Micro-Topographic Modeling" (South Korea)

Bhavya Sinha, Ph.D. in Economics, "Effects of a Nutritional Intervention on the Valuation of Multi-nutrient Powder (MNP): Measured through willingness-to-pay (WTP)" (India)

Lakshimi Swaminatha, Ph.D. in Economics, Attendance of Paris School of Economics, Migration Economics Summer School

Yibin (Jerry) Yang, Ph.D. in English, Conference Presentation of “Through the Dragon Gate: Becoming Objects with Marianne Moore’s Use of Metaphor” at the Modernist Studies Association and British Association for Modernist Studies (United Kingdom)

Graduate Student Spotlight: Inha Park

Inha Park, Ph.D. student in Italian Studies, embarked on a winter research journey to Seoul to investigate the history of teaching Dante both inside and outside the university classroom by examining cultural productions such as public lectures, library holdings, and exhibitions. Her research will be part of an upcoming volume of Dante in East Asia, which offers the first comprehensive examination of Dante’s reception in China, Japan, and South Korea.

Aldo Manuzio exhibition (Incheon, South Korea) and a woman in a cream shirt with brown hair examining materials from the Dante exhibition and lecture at Sojeonseolim Library (Seoul, South Korea). — *Photos provided by Inha Park: The Aldo Manuzio exhibition in Incheon and materials from the Dante exhibition and lecture at Sojeonseolim Library in Seoul.*

Faculty Grants

Research Grants

Liang Cai, History, "Geographic mobility and cultural Identity During Qin-Han Dynasties(ca. 390-221 BCE)"

Santosh Kumar Gautam, Global Affairs, "Cycles of Malnutrition: Intergenerational Health Transmission in India"

Perin Gurel, American Studies, "Folk Humor and Cold War Modernization"

Noriko Hanabusa, East Asia Languages and Cultures, and Jessica McManus Warnell, Management & Organization, "Resilience at Work: Community Recovery and Well-Being After Climate Disaster"

Kyle Jaros, Global Affairs and Political Science, “Subnational Statecraft: How States and Cities Make (and Break) US-China Relations” book workshop and policy roundtable on subnational US-China relations (Washington, D.C.)

Congcong Ma, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Beyond Automation: Exploring the AI-Powered Human Mode in Second Language Pronunciation Pedagogy"

Joseph Parent, Political Science, "Chinese Threat Perceptions"

Two middle aged men with glasses and a woman sit around tables with computers and papers. — This spring, the Keough School for Global Affairs and the Liu Institute convened experts for a policy roundtable that examined the rapidly shifting landscape of U.S.-China and U.S.-Taiwan relations at the state and local levels. The discussion, hosted at the Keough School's Washington Office, included experts from think tanks and nongovernmental organization as well as scholars. The roundtable was moderated by Keough School faculty member Kyle Jaros and Sara Newland (Smith College), whose related book, "Subnational Statecraft: How States and Cities are Making and Breaking US-China Relations," is under contract with Oxford University Press. Photo provided by the Keough School for Global Affairs.

Conference Presentation Support

Liang Cai, History, "Convict Politics: From Utopia to Serfdom in Early China," Chinese Paleography and Early China Civilization Colloquium

Joshua Eisenman, Global Affairs, "Czechia’s Relations with China: The Asymmetric Influence of a Central European Small Power," EU’s 2026 Reconnect China conference

Santosh Kumar Gautam, Global Affairs, "From Clinic to Cradle: Estimating the Effects of Antenatal Care on Neonatal Health in India,” 15th Annual Conference of the American Society of Health Economists

Victoria Hui, Political Science, "What Does 'From Chaos To Order (由亂到治)' Mean for Hong Kong? Yesterday’s Yunnan, Today’s Hong Kong," Third International Conference on Global Hong Kong Studies

Jennifer Huynh, American Studies, "Mapping Violence and State Power through Deportation," American Sociological Association Annual Conference

Hana Kang, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Multilingualism and Identity in Pachinko: A Study of Language, Translation, and Cultural Displacement," 74th Annual Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs

Hana Kang, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Advancing Critical AI Literacy and Interculturality in Korean Language Learning and Teaching," International Council on Korean Linguistics

Mehak Khan, English, "The Ethics and Aesthetics of Ugliness in Pakistan," Association for Asian Studies (AAS)-in Asia (Pakistan)

Cecilia Kim, Film, Television, and Theatre, " Voice of Machines and Seaweed Tendrils," Czong Institute for Contemporary Art (CICA) 10th New Media Art Conference Exhibition

Jincheng Liu, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "The Principle of No-Synonymy: Two Case Studies of Chinese Near-Synonymous Sentential Constructions," 9th International Forum on Linguistics and Chinese Education

Congcong Ma, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Inclusive Language Communities: Enhancing Learning Beyond the Classroom," 17th International Conference on Chinese Language Pedagogy

Iris Ma, Global Affairs, “Storytelling and Narrative Power in International Affairs: The Case of Zheng He," 2026 Association of Asian Studies

Iris Ma, Global Affairs, "Disruption, Transformation, and Chinese Philosophy," Disruption, Transformation, Growth Seminar

Siiri Scott, Film, Television, Theatre, "The System as Scaffold and Partner Presentation: Rethinking the Room with Jay Paul Skelton," Stanislavsky and Contemporary Theatre Conference

Xiaoshan Yang, East Asian Languages and Cultures, " The Rise of Oceanic Imagination in Song Poetry," at The Middle without Boundaries? The Fourth Middle-Period China Humanities Conference

Weibing Ye, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Beyond Chatbots: A Hallucination-Free, Multi-Agent AI Architecture for Chinese Language Pedagogy," 2026 North American Culture and Education Academy (NACEA) International Conference

Chengxu Yin, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Beyond Production: A Study of 'Linguistic Management' and Critical Interculturality in AI-Mediated Chinese Language Acquisition," 15th International Conference on the Modernization of Chinese Language Education

Sharon Yoon, Global Affairs, "Racial Exorcism and the Colonial Seeding of Postwar Anti-Korean Hate," 2026 Association of Asian Studies

Yeonhee Yoon, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Implementing Task-Based Language Learning (TBLL) through K-Pop: Pedagogical Models and Case Study Analysis for KFL Learners," European Association of Korean Language Education Conference

Yongping Zhu, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Constructions and Sentence Patterns: A New Approach to Textbook Compilation and Pedagogical Strategies," 9th International Forum on Linguistics and Chinese Education

Thematic Cluster Grants

Justice and Asia word mark on a field of dark navy with pattern.

Justice and Asia Grants

Dahjin Kim, Asian Studies and Global Affairs, “Beyond Xenophobia: Gender Polarization and Public Opinion on Foreign Brides in East Asia”

Pixie Shen, Philosophy Ph.D., “Queer Solitude: Justice, Survival, and Queer Becoming in Asia”

Jiahe Cao, Anthropology Ph.D., “Failed Container or Container for Failures? The Stigmatization of Vocational School Students in China”

Aidana Rakhatbekova, International Peace Studies Ph.D., “Narrative as Political Agency: Indigenous Visions for Environmental and Recognitional Justice in North Asia”

En-Ya Tsai, Sociology Ph.D., “Freedom under Pressure: Taiwan Religious Groups’ Responses to China’s Unification Threats”

Francesca Freeman, History Ph.D., “Settler Colonialism, Liberalism, and the Birth of American Jewish Zionism”

Asian Political Cultures Grants

Three proposals for thematic workshops in Asia were awarded to faculty fellows in response to the inaugural call for proposals.

Joshua Eisenman, Global Affairs, "China's Relations in South Asia"

Amanda Kennell, East Asian Languages and Cultures, "Japanese Politics at the Ground Level: Environment and Nation"

Victoria Tin-bor Hui, Political Science, "Christian Churches, Political Culture, and Civil Society in Hong Kong"