Graduate Students

Currently enrolled in the 2-year GIST M.A. program

Aidan Dillon

Aidan graduated with a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Kansas. He is interested in researching human rights and peace studies, and advocacy for marginalized communities. His regional focus is the Middle East/North Africa, and his research will focus on the effects of humanitarian crises in this region.

Alexandra Navarro

Alexandra came to KU through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program which enables graduate students from abroad to study at a university in the U.S. for one year or more. Alexandra comes from Honduras where she earned her bachelor’s degree in law from the Technological University of Honduras. At KU, she is researching migration of Central Americans and structural violence experienced by them when they migrate to other countries. Advisors: Dr. Liz MacGonagle and Dr. Dean Bartholomew

Connor Schmaus

Connor is pursuing a concentration in Contemporary East Asian Studies and specializing in environmental policy and rhetoric, health sociology, and health and medical geography. His research focuses on the relationship between environmental movements and healthcare access and uses national policy in the United States and South Korea as a comparative study. He aims to better understand how social involvement in these movements translates to enacting change in policy that impacts access to healthcare resources. He graduated in 2023 from KU with a BS in Environmental Studies, where he completed research on food insecurity and access in Lawrence. Advisor: Dr. Eric Hanley

Gabriel Nehrbass

Gabriel’s research focuses on geopolitics of human trafficking in Eastern Europe. He is particularly interested the Russian abduction and illegal adoption of Ukrainian children during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. Gabriel has been a full-time staff member at KU since 2019 and currently serves as the Senior Administrator for Research Development in the KU Office of Research.

Jessie Conroy

Jessie graduated with her BA in English Literature from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. She is interested in the experiences of immigrant communities within the United States and examining how language acquisition relates to a sense of belonging for the individual. Her regional research focus is on the United States and Central America. Advisor: Dr. Araceli Masterson-Algar

João Ferreira

After completing his undergraduate studies in Brazil, João came to KU to investigate the intersections of immigration and its impact on countries of origin in Latin America. His research specifically focuses on how emigration influences the socio-economic and cultural dynamics in Latin American countries, particularly in Brazil.

Mary Self

Mary came to KU to investigate indigenous communities and migration in Latin America. She completed her bachelor's degree in Spanish at Missouri State University and currently works as a graduate assistant in the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies. While in the GIST MA program she is focusing on acquiring proficiency in Portuguese and researching the political, social, and economic barriers currently faced by indigenous communities in Latin America.

Mohammad Obeidat

Mohammad is interested in peace & conflict studies and refugee experiences. His research examines how social integration affects the cultural identity of Syrian refugees in different host communities. He aims to develop policy interventions that support the integration of refugees in host communities as a symbiotic practice within the global community. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Jordan with a double major in English & Russian languages. Currently, he is an Administrative Assistant in the Enrollment Management department at KU. Advisor: Dr. Marike Janzen

Paige Habiger

Paige's interest lies in the European Balkans, particularly the area previously known as Yugoslavia. She hopes to learn more about the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s and memory attached to that time. She will conduct research in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas which is home to many Yugoslav immigrant families. Advisor: Dr. Svetlana Vassileva-Karagyozova

Ty Scharff

Ty graduated from Pittsburg State University with a BS in History and Political Science. At KU, he is pursuing a GIST MA with a concentration in Contemporary East Asia. His research interests center on international relations and security policy in Europe and East Asia. Specifically, he hopes to pursue research on Japanese security policy and how it has shifted in response to increasing tensions within the region in the 21st century.

Zahra Amiri

Zahra holds a graduate certificate in Leadership in Equity and Social Diversity from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s degree in Literature and Humanities from Herat University in Afghanistan. Currently, she works as an International Application Processor in KU Admissions and aspires to contribute to international organizations. Her research focuses on applying interdisciplinary approaches to women’s rights, particularly examining how cultural, social, and legal systems influence gender equality.

Research of Recent Graduates
Master’s Program in Global & International Studies

Kyle Granzow, MA research project: “To Live Naturally: Factors Influencing Danso Selfhood and Gender Construction in Japan.” Supervised by Dr. Akiko Takeyama, Committee Members: Dr. Linda Galvane, Dr. Ayako Mizumura

Jacob Barta, MA research project. Supervised by Dr. Jack Zhang, Committee Members: Dr. Melissa Birch, Dr. Ayako Mizumura

Katie Nisbet, MA thesis: “Tokenism or Strategy? Women's Paths to Power in the Chinese Communist Party.” Supervised by Dr. John Kennedy, Committee members: Dr. Mike Wuthrich, Dr. Robert Rohrschneider, and Dr. Jack Zhang

Katlyn Aguilar, MA thesis: “Power Moves: Chinese FDI in Renewable Energy in Brazil’s Northeast.” Supervised by Dr. Christopher Anderson, Committee members: Dr. Melissa Birch and Dr. J. Christopher Brown.

Jordan Clark, MA thesis: “Place Attachment in Kazakhstan: Changes in Place Attachment after Sponsored Education Abroad.” Supervised by Dr. Alexander C. Diener, Committee members: Dr. Michael Wuthrich and Dr. Erik Scott. Graduated Spring 2023.

Hamideh Gerami, MA research project: “Iranian Jewry’s Perception of The Jewish State: Do They Consider Israel Home?”. Supervised by Dr. Jacquelene Brinton, Committee members: Dr. Sheyda Jahanbani and Dr. Rami Zeedan. Graduated Fall 2022.

Jeremy Ross, MA thesis: “Guns and ships, but does the balance shift? The impact of naval balance of power on China's maritime disputes” Supervised by Dr. Jack Zhang. Committee Members: Dr. Nazli Avdan and Dr. John Kennedy. Graduated Spring 2022.

Rachel Hogan, MA thesis: “How does the varying budget allotted to Arab and Jewish school systems impact the results of the Bagrut exam in Israel?” Supervised by Dr. Rami Zeedan, Committee members: Dr. Michael Wuthrich and Dr. Brian Lagotte. Graduated Spring 2021.