Awardee Database

Awardees

Anouk Guilhaume-Levy

Anouk Guilhaume-Levy, architecture student from the University of California– Berkeley, is the recipient of the 2026 Project Support Morocco award for her project on adapting traditional building techniques for modern architectural technology in post-disaster reconstruction. With the support of the LRF award, Anouk will photograph heritage sites where reconstruction is underway, and conduct interviews with earthquake-affected communities and those involved in restoration. She hopes to make this research available to local communities and architects who combine traditional and modern techniques.

Upon her return to the US, Anouk plans to pursue a graduate degree in material research and building sciences, using her research on rammed-earth architecture techniques to apply to modern built environments.

Emily Boyett

Emily Boyett is the 2026 Project Support Awardee for Finland. Growing up in a newspaper family in rural Illinois, Emily’s dedication to seek the truth encouraged her to the world’s leading journalism school and learn how to engage with people from diverse background and perspectives. Her continued commitment has motivated her research project to compare media literacy and trust in Finland and the United States. This Project Support Award will support Emily pursuing a Master of Global Politics and Communication at the University of Helsinki. After learning about other countries’ digital policy and how to communicate political differences with her Fulbright Program, she plans to pursue a JD/ Master of Public Policy dual degree to prepare herself for public service. She hopes to use her expertise in research or advocacy roles to combat digital extremism.

Gabriela Pinasco Nájera

Gabriela Pinasco Nájera is a journalist, documentarian and human rights activist pursuing a Master in Journalism at NYU. Her work has focused on first-hand accounts of resistance to human rights abuses in South America. While under NYU’s Global Beat program in Argentina, Gabriela produced a report published by PBS and directed a documentary about Ramón Inama’s reunion with his sister, 47 years after she was abducted as a newborn during Argentina’s last military dictatorship. 

She was also admitted to the Gallatin Global Fellowship in Human Rights through which she collaborated with members of the Kichwa community in Ecuador in the filming of a short documentary now serving as her master’s thesis project, recently screened at the 2026 NYU Documentary Film Festival. 

The piece highlights the conservation work carried out by Kichwa communities, who resist through activism as well as their culture and ancestral language. Simultaneously, the film reveals the real scale of environmental damage caused by mining, which is polluting rivers that serve as the only source of water for many Indigenous communities. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to document and share these contrasts and realities before it is too late.

Gabriela is now in the post-production phase of this documentary, using the Lois Roth Foundation’s support to cover film color grading processes and to support the film’s distribution, including for international festival entries to reach audiences across different countries and platforms.

Amy Weng

As a second generation Chinese-New Zealander, Amy Weng is committed to supporting emerging Asian Aotearoa artists through research on Asian diaspora identities within broader post-colonial and indigenous frameworks. Her Fulbright project at New York University is a comparative study of Asian American and Asian New Zealand art practices, with the goal of expanding curatorial methodologies and contemporary art narratives in Aotearoa.

The Lois Roth Foundation’s support will assist in research materials as well as building partnerships with NYC galleries and museums to present curated exhibitions of Asian diasporic experiences. After her research she hopes to continue to become a leader in the field, supporting artists and contributing to better public awareness through the arts.

Ben Gusdal

Ben Gusdal is the 2026 Project Support Norway awardee. His research examines how Norway navigates the tension between being both a major petroleum producer and a global climate leader, using methods such as interviews, public conversations, scholarly analysis, and empirical data to investigate whether oil wealth obstructs or enables Norway’s climate ambitions. The project explores how policymakers and citizens view the relationship between the oil sector, welfare-state stability, and environmental goals, and what lessons other nations might draw from Norway’s unique position.

Ben will use the support from the Lois Roth Foundation to increase his regional fieldwork outside of Oslo, specifically across western and northern Norway, to capture geographic variation in petroleum governance, Indigenous perspectives, and community-level environmental and economic impacts. 

Following his Fulbright grant and research project, Ben plans to enroll law school with a  focus on energy law. He will use his research in Norway as a foundation to contribute to renewable energy law and policy.

Alison Chan

Alison Chan is the 2026 Project Support Sweden awardee. Her research works to answer the question: “How does culture influence the way we interpret biological data, define progress, and assign meaning to illness?” Throughout the research process, she has come to appreciate that understanding disease often requires more than biochemistry alone. Using Lois Roth support to combine patient-centered interviews, narrative documentation, and visual storytelling, Alison extends her Fulbright research to examine how individuals living with Parkinson’s in Sweden experience diagnosis, treatment, and identity. This project extends beyond the laboratory, examining how science and society jointly shape the meaning of disease. By situating biomarker research within its broader social context, the project highlights that data are not culturally neutral: they gain meaning through language, ethics, and shared understanding.

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.

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