Awardee Database

Awardees

Ben Branaman

Fulbright Research Grantee Ben Branaman, Arizona State University graduate, is the recipient of the 2025 Project Support Award Norway. Ben’s research in Norway involves studying the use of Electronic Monitoring (EM) as an alternative criminal sentencing practice, determining its impact on life outcomes, public safety and human rights. Working with Kriminalomsorgens Høgskole og Utdanningssenter (KRUS), Ben will examine experiences in Norway’s EM program through interviews with probation staff and incarcerated individuals that use EM. Through these interviews, he hopes to understand how serving criminal sentences at home, as opposed to in prison, affects life outcomes. 

The Lois Roth Award will enable Ben to conduct additional interviews outside of Oslo and collect vital research data that enhance understanding on Electronic Monitoring in Norway.

Prior to his Fulbright and LRF award Ben studied criminology, and plans to return to Arizona to use his research and experience in carceral environments to work towards a PhD and a career in prison reform research. Ben hopes to use the knowledge gained from his Project Support activities in the US to influence methods of sentencing and impact recidivism rates. 

 

Lydia Barrett

Lydia Barrett, PhD researcher at the University of California Santa Cruz, is the recipient of the 2025 Project Support Award Morocco for her project “Singing Resilience in the Climate Crisis: Women’s Musical Migration to Morocco. Lydia’s musical anthology research focuses on the sharing of songs by women migrants from across the African Continent.

“These women and children come to Morocco in the hopes of crossing into Europe, but once they arrive, returning home becomes as difficult as migrating to a new country. Many continue to attempt European migration, while others make a new home on Morocco’s northern coast. These women sing together to remember, to connect, and to survive.”

With the support of the LRF award, Lydia aims to produce an anthology album of songs, as well as a companion website to share interviews, field recordings, and soundscapes. The album and companion website expand the scope of the project, inviting listeners from around the world into the artistic sound worlds of these women composers and performers.

Megan Thiede

Megan Thiede is the 2025 Finland Project Support recipient for her research project to optimize the job application service lifecycle for individuals with cognitive and visual impairments. 

“Working alongside students from 10+ different countries, while learning how to conduct research for individuals with disabilities and neurodiversity, is as challenging as it is rewarding” She hopes that her research will expand upon the connection between service design and accessibility on a more holistic level.

The Project Support award will fund Megan’s participation in the Green Innovators’ Challenge at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées in France where she will conduct a research project on increasing university accessibility and developing sustainability strategies through site visits and workshops with sustainability experts. In addition, the award will assist her in attending the Smart Accessibility Conference in France, an annual convention of thought leaders, gathered to share research and insights about current accessibility challenges and techniques to enable equal opportunity.

A graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, Megan is completing a Master of Social Sciences at Tampere University in sustainable societies and digitalisation, with a specialization in accessibility and diversity in digital services.

Nicole Tong

Nicole is currently pursuing graduate education at Stanford University. She aims to contribute to the development of ethical AI through her project, “Design of Artificial Intelligence Systems through Gender and Intersectionality.” Nicole’s research investigates the historical and modern discrimination faced by the Sámi people, with a focus on privacy and data. Nicole will use the Award to develop educational materials demystifying AI for marginalized communities, collaborate with organizations focused on AI literacy, and present her findings at conferences. She hopes to provide insights into the potential positive applications of AI in preserving indigenous knowledge through language technology and supporting traditional practices.

Britta Bjornlund

The 2025 Ilchman-Richardson award goes to Britta Bjornlund, Chief of the Youth Programs Division, Office of Citizen Exchanges at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

With calm and compassion, Britta guided the creation and growth of two of the Department’s most impactful regional initiatives in the past decade: the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), with its Mandela Washington Fellows Program, and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). Together, these efforts have forged enduring bonds between Americans and over 10,000 young leaders from Africa and Southeast Asia. Amid unprecedented challenges, Britta led her team with resilience and clarity by overseeing the repatriation of 2,000 high school exchange participants during COVID, restarting those programs once the pandemic eased, and addressing the urgent needs of nearly 200 Ukrainian students displaced by Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Dr. Nicholas Cull

Dr. Nicholas Cull (USC) is a 2025 winner for Reputational Security: Refocusing Public Diplomacy for a Dangerous World (2024, Polity Press). A theoretical rethinking of the relationship between realpolitik and “soft power” for the 21st century, supported by a convincing array of historical and current examples. This book argues that, particularly in the context of today’s radically different media and communications environment, national reputation is fundamental to national wellbeing and security. Chapter Seven explores the specific roles played by cultural diplomacy in relation to national reputation, situating these in a sophisticated and useful context and providing examples of a range of successful cultural diplomacy efforts.

Linda Piccirilli

Honorable Mention for the 2025 Ilchman-Richardson award goes to Linda Piccirilli, International Visitor Exchange Specialist, New York Program Branch of the Office of International Visitors at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).

Over her nearly 30-year career with ECA’s Office of International Visitors New York Program Branch (NYPB), she has deftly managed thousands of IVLP projects and shaped the lives of tens of thousands of emerging global leaders. Her diligence, warmth, and creativity are exceeded only by her commitment to strengthening the United States and its most important partnerships. Among her many notable achievements, Linda helped create a large-scale public-private partnership and developed an annual conference to enhance the Edward R. Murrow journalism project. As her nominator notes, Linda is the “heart and soul” of the New York branch.

Dr. Pete Millwood

Dr. Pete Millwood (Univ. of Melbourne) received a 2025 prize for Improbable Diplomats: How Ping-Pong Players, Musicians, and Scientists Remade U.S.-China Relations (2023, Cambridge Univ. Press). This readable, well-documented academic contribution to work on Sino-American relations in the 1970s investigates how cultural diplomacy remade international affairs. Methodologically innovative, it fleshes out the role and status of NGOs, situated between governments and individuals, and makes use of new archival materials and original oral history interviews. The result is a well-rounded transnational history that examines linguistic and cultural points of view, as well as the agency of Chinese individuals and organizations of the time

Shahid Waseem

The 2025 award went to Shahid Waseem, Country Alumni Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad.

Shahid has transformed Mission Pakistan’s alumni outreach, strengthening Established Opinion Leaders and Emerging Voices networks of U.S. exchange alumni across the country.He founded and leads the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) that hosts national and international conferences, provides internships for 1,000 alumni, and funds innovative public diplomacy projects. Thanks to Shahid’s leadership, PUAN is one of the largest networks of its kind in the world. Through his vision and leadership, alumni engagement in Pakistan has flourished, showcasing the lasting impact of exchange programs.

Dr. Elisabeth Piller

Dr. Elisabeth Piller (Univ. Freiburg) received the 2025 honorable mention for Selling Weimar: German Public Diplomacy and the United States, 1918-1933 (2021, Franz Steiner Verlag). While much attention has been paid to Cold War US cultural diplomacy efforts toward Germany, very little has focused on Germany’s use of public diplomacy to shape US views in any period. This book notes that, for the Weimar Republic democracy, “the need for systematic public diplomacy was among the central lessons” of WWI, and the country accordingly redesigned and prioritized its cultural outreach, especially toward the U.S. This innovative history of Germany’s interwar “American project” goes beyond economic accounts to explain the puzzlingly rapid reversal in US relations with Germany post-WWI and reveals the roots of German self-representations to this day

Charlène Wantong

The 2025 Honorable Mention went to Charlène Wantong, Public Engagement Specialist, U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé.

In under six years as Emerging Voices Specialist, Charlene has established herself as a visionary leader in educational and cultural diplomacy, combining cross-cultural sensitivity, strategic insight, and a deep commitment to mentorship. She has transformed disparate alumni groups into self-sustaining networks, led Cameroon’s first National Alumni Symposiums, and empowered Mandela and YALI alumni to take leadership roles in youth engagement. Through innovative initiatives like the “ConnectUSA” campaign and creative programming—from poetry slams to culinary diplomacy—Charlene has strengthened U.S. influence while fostering local ownership. As her nominator notes, she embodies the Lois Roth/Gill Jacot-Guillarmod ethos, demonstrating creativity, empathy, and strategic impact in public diplomacy.

Alev Alemdar

Alev Alemdar, Established Opinion Leader Specialist at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, has dedicated 27 years to advancing cultural and educational diplomacy with unmatched excellence, integrity, and vision. She has been the cornerstone of the Consulate’s relationships with governments, universities, NGOs, and cultural institutions, guiding nine ambassadors, eight consuls general, and 21 public diplomacy officers with wisdom, warmth, and humor. Her strategic leadership has produced landmark achievements, including a transformative interagency MoU between the U.S. and Türkiye, while her legendary mentorship and generosity have shaped generations of officers, leaving a lasting legacy of impact, resilience, and compassion.

Naimeh Hadidi

Naimeh Hadidi, Senior Public Engagement Specialist at U. S. Embassy in Riyadh, has spent four decades building bridges between Saudi society and the U.S. through visionary public diplomacy programs. She has nurtured extensive networks across the Kingdom, mentoring participants and matching them to impactful initiatives, including Saudi Arabia’s first English Language Specialist Program reaching 6,000 teachers, pioneering female law student exchanges, and launching the YES program with trusted local leaders. Following 9/11, she championed programming promoting religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and outreach to conservative and rural communities. As her nominator notes, Naimeh’s sustained efforts have laid the foundation for PAS Riyadh to expand and diversify bilateral engagement under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, embodying Gill’s principle of “helping the United States while helping your own country.

Marion Salvanet

Marion Salvanet is a Public Engagement Specialist at Africa Regional Services at the U. S. Embassy in Paris. She provides vital public diplomacy support to 27 French- and Portuguese-speaking posts in Africa. Over her 20-year career, she has recruited U.S. speakers and performing artists, managed press and digital engagement, and trained and mentored generations of PD staff, FSOs, and LES alike. Marion’s exceptional program design skills, extensive networks, and innovative approaches such as her widely emulated virtual programming during the pandemic have strengthened missions across the region. As her nominator notes, her expertise, mentorship, and unwavering dedication exemplify the highest standards of public diplomacy and make her an indispensable asset for the team.

Mathias Tientcheu

Mathias Tientcheu, Public Engagement Specialist at Embassy Yaoundé, has for over two decades been a cornerstone of U.S. public diplomacy in Cameroon, exemplifying creativity, cultural fluency, mentorship, and lasting impact. As an Established Opinion Leaders Specialist, he has led IVLP, Fulbright, university partnerships, and cultural programs including AFCP, while transforming American Corners in Buea and Garoua to extend U.S. outreach into Cameroon’s English-speaking Southwest and Muslim-majority North. From serving as official interpreter at the 2005 New Embassy Compound inauguration to spearheading Cameroon’s Cultural Property Agreement with the U.S., Mathias combines exceptional diplomacy, vision, and innovation. As his nominator notes, his programming, mentorship, and unwavering dedication have left an indelible mark on colleagues, communities, and institutions.

Serafina Kennedy

A graduate of Rutgers University, artist Serafina is collaborating with the Glass Factory in Boda Glasbruk to master Graal, a traditional Swedish glassblowing technique. Her project, “The Natural World through Allemansrätten, Graal, and Drawing,” is inspired by Sweden’s landscapes and the “Freedom to Roam” law (Allemansrätten). She is creating an extraordinary series of ink drawings and Graal sculptures, which will be showcased at the Glass Factory in June 2025 and at Rutgers University in the fall of 2025. The award will support her in acquiring materials and supplies essential for creating her Graal work and installing these stunning exhibitions in both Sweden and the U.S.

Yassin Adnan & Alexander Elinson

For the 2025 Arabic Literature Tour, Moroccan author Yassin Adnan and US translator Alexander Elinson present the novel Hot Maroc, longlisted for the IPAF in 2017 and published in translation by Syracuse University Press in 2021. Darkly comedic, Hot Maroc is told through the eyes of the hapless Rahhal Laâouina, aka the Squirrel. Painfully shy, not that bright, and not all that popular, Rahhal somehow imagines himself a hero. With a useless degree in ancient Arabic poetry, he finds his calling in the online world, where he discovers email, YouTube, Facebook, and the news site Hot Maroc. The novel gives a vital portrait of the challenges faced by today’s Moroccans in a repressive society, where adherence to traditional cultural icons both anchors and stifles creative production.

Yassin Adnan —poet, fiction writer, editor and TV presenter— is the author of 6 poetry collections, 3 short-story collections, a novel and a book about travel. He serves as president of the Marrakech English Book Festival and is the founder of two literary magazines. The host of cultural TV programs, a radio show and a podcast, he has also edited various titles, including the anthology Marrakech Noir (2018), and participated in a range of international programs, including in the U.S.

Alexander Elinson teaches Arabic Language & Literature at Hunter College/CUNY and directs their Summer Arabic Program. His research interests include Arabic and Hebrew literature from the pre-Islamic to the modern period. His current book project, Looking Back: The Poetics of Loss and Nostalgia in Muslim Spain, examines the intersection between literary convention and poetic subjectivity; his current research and translation projects include looking at Moroccan prison writing.

Juliana Merullo

Juliana Merullo, a recent Brown University graduate, is collaborating with Universidad de la República to document voices and perspectives of Uruguayan cattle farmers in an oral history archive. She hopes to capture their experiences of the current transition and change to the tradition of cattle grazing as a result of the recent governments’ efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

With the help of the 2025 Project Support Award Uruguay, she will be able to expand on her online archive to publish interviews on Uruguayan radio stations and American podcasts. As Juliana notes, “I am excited about the prospect of bringing more attention – within Uruguay and beyond – to the stories of these rural cattle farmers and their families, overcoming language barriers and cultural divides in the process.”

Derek Russell

Derek graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Architecture, and is undertaking architectural design research in Ecuador. His project, Cañ & Ara: Mending Climates with Vernacular Cosmovisions, aims to convene a 2-day Plurinational Craft Council that would include artisans and craftspeople from various indigenous nations to share architectural knowledge of indigenous construction.

Funding for this project by the Lois Roth Foundation will go towards covering the costs of artisan attendance and presentation of their work, event materials, as well as a donation of gratitude to the Seikoya community hosting the event. 

Through his research, Derek hopes to gain ancestral and community knowledge on sustainable building for disaster mitigation, integrating some of this knowledge into sustainable architectural design. 

Malvika Narayan

Malvika’s research is rooted in dialogue—between clinicians and researchers, between institutions and public health systems, and between nations. A PhD candidate at Texas Tech University, she  is undertaking a Fulbright in collaboration with the University of the Sunshine Coast with the goal of evaluating the Be Well Plan, an anti-burnout intervention for mental health clinicians. Through running synchronized control trials in the US and Australia, Malvika is able to investigate how the same intervention can be useful in starkly different healthcare systems. Funds from the Roth foundation will allow her to host a virtual symposium convening Australian and American stakeholders to share findings from parallel studies, reflect on cross-cultural insights, and strengthen binational strategies for improving mental health clinician wellbeing.

Upon returning to the US, Malvika intends to pilot the Be Well Plan program at Texas Tech University and advocate to  local governmental representatives for policies mitigating burnout.

Marielle Buxbaum

Marielle Buxbaum’s Theatre for Youth Futures: Engaging Ecuadorian Urban Teens explores the social concerns of Ecuadorian youth. Marielle’s playwriting-for-social-change program looks to address difficult experiences of youth from Loja, including bullying, suicide, intra-family violence and drug abuse through plays written and performed by participating teens. Her theatre program engages with the therapeutic value of working with teens’ creative imaginations to process their own stories and work towards community change.

Support from the Lois Roth Foundation will fund the purchase of costumes and props for the theatre project, which can be used for future groups and productions. Purchased items, kept by the high school arts teachers, would allow those teachers freedom to continue the project for years to come.

Marielle plans to work with local artists to ensure that the new playwriting program lives on after her return to the U.S., and also hopes to publish her research, providing insights into how various local art forms foster youth storytelling when integrated into theatrical writing.

Paul Reitter

In its 18th edition, the MLA-Roth Award for a Translation of a Literary Work went to Paul Reitter (Ohio State) for his translation of of Karl Marx’s Capital: Critique of Political Economy (Princeton UP, 2024). The first new English translation in fifty years and the only one based on the last German edition, revised by Marx himself—it captures the momentous scale and sweep of Marx’s thought while recovering the elegance and humor of the original. This critical edition features extensive original commentary and a foreword by acclaimed political theorist Wendy Brown.

Dr. Bart Pushaw

Most of the Inuit artworks that are the subject of Dr. Pushaw’s study are not in Greenland, taken and residing in collections in places as diverse as Oslo and Kansas. Dr. Bart Pushaw, of the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga researches, collates, historicizes, and analyzes these artworks in order to advocate for their return home.

Indulgent Images: Colonial Inuit Art and the Atlantic World is the first attempt in forty years to establish a critical corpus of Inuit art produced in Greenland between 1680 and 1900. As Dr. Pushaw’s first academic monograph, the project foregrounds close reading of historical art and expressive culture by Inuit makers to understand how Kalaallit Inuit envisioned futures for themselves and navigated colonialism in their own terms.

Funds from the Lois Roth Foundation will support Dr. Pushaw to collaborate with the Nuuk Art Museum, Inuit scholars, and community stakeholders to co-create knowledge on historical art and material culture, as well as study, consult, and photograph otherwise inaccessible artworks that are critical to his academic monograph.

*The Prix Coindreau Prize, The Jeanne Varnay Pleasants Prize for Language Teaching, and the CASVA-Henry & Judith Millon Award are currently inactive.