Cornell Hosted Scholars

Cornell's work with scholars under threat has brought dozens of students and scholars to campus, including undergraduate and graduate students, academics, writers, journalists, and artists from seven countries.

Current Scholars

Noor Ahmad Akhundzadah

Noor Ahmad Akhundzadah is a visiting scholar in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and theEinaudi Center's South Asia Program. His research focuses on water resources, climate change, and disaster management, particularly in Afghanistan. He earned a Ph.D. in geotechnical engineering from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology and previously held senior academic and government positions in Afghanistan, including at Kabul University and the Ministry of Higher Education. At Cornell, he continues his research and teaching on climate change impacts on Afghanistan’s water resources while collaborating with faculty and students across campus. Professor Karim-Aly Kassam in the Department of Natural Resources serves as Akhundzadah's faculty mentor.

Su Yin Htun

Su Yin Htun is a Myanmar scholar affiliated with Einaudi’s Southeast Asia Program. Her research examines forced labor in cyber-scam compounds, the experiences of Burmese migrants and refugees, and women’s political participation in Myanmar. In addition to her work at Cornell, she teaches international human rights law remotely for the University of Arizona and continues online instruction in Myanmar. Her scholarship and teaching focus on human rights, migration, and democratic participation in Southeast Asia. Professor Sarosh Kuruvilla, Andrew J. Nathanson Family Professor of Industrial Relations, Asian Studies, and Public Affairs, is serving as Htun's host and mentor during her stay.

Aleida J. Sandoval

Aleida J. Sandoval is a Venezuelan food scientist and visiting scholar in Cornell’s Department of Food Science, hosted by Professor Carmen Moraru. Her research focuses on food processing, food rheology, shelf-life, and the quality and stability of food products. At Cornell, she is investigating extrusion-based value addition of pulse flours and protein concentrates while contributing to research on chocolate crystallization and storage conditions for hygroscopic foods. Her work combines fundamental food science with practical applications for food quality and sustainability.

Select Past Scholars

Azat Gündoğan

Azat Gündoğan is a Turkish sociologist whose research focuses on urban development, social inequality, migration, and the social and political forces shaping contemporary cities. During his time as a visiting scholar at Einaudi’s Institute for European Studies, Gündoğan continued his work on urban development in Turkey and worked on a book about the formation of satellite cities in the Istanbul area. He currently serves as an associate teaching professor in the University Honors Program at Florida State University, where he teaches interdisciplinary courses on cities, inequality, and global challenges.

Serap Kavas

Serap Kavas was an International Institution of Education's fellow at the Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. As a sociologist, her research explores the realms of family demography, gender issues, and migration, with a keen focus on understanding social change and inequality. While at Cornell, Kavas was actively involved in Developmental Idealism research, designing a survey project that focuses on the intersection of family demography and developmental idealism in Turkey. Mentored by Kelly Musick, Kavas is currently an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Sharif Hozoori

Sharif Hozoori was a visiting scholar in Einaudi’s South Asia Program. His research focuses on Afghan politics and foreign policy, cultural studies, and the broader regions of South Asia and the Middle East. During his time at Cornell, he published research, delivered public talks, engaged with the local Afghan community, and served as faculty adviser to the Organization for Afghan Students. Mentored by Matthew Evangelista, President White Professor of History and Political Science Emeritus, Hozoori currently serves as a visiting lecturer in Cornell’s Department of Government.

Pedro X. Molina

Pedro X. Molina is a Nicaraguan political cartoonist who was an Artist Protection Fund fellow in Einaudi’s Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program through 2022. Before arriving at Cornell, he spent two years as a visiting scholar at Ithaca College after fleeing Nicaragua in 2018, when government forces raided the offices of Confidencial, one of the country’s leading independent news outlets. At Cornell, Molina contributed to teaching and public engagement while continuing his artistic practice. He currently serves as a visiting critic in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program. Richard J. Schwartz Professor Kenneth Roberts, Department of Government, was the faculty mentor for Molina. 

Sharifa “Elja” Sharifi

Elja Sharifi is an Afghan artist, curator, and scholar who was a visiting scholar at Cornell’s Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art from 2022 to 2024. Supported by the IIE Artist Protection Fund, she curated exhibitions focused on Persian art and Afghan calligraphy while advancing research on Persian art, gender and sexuality, and the status of Afghan women. She is currently pursuing a PhD in History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell. In 2025, Global Cornell commissioned her painting From Herat to Cornell, reflecting her journey from Afghanistan to Ithaca.