Virtual Hosted Scholars
In 2023, Cornell pioneered the Virtual Scholars Under Threat program with IIE-SRF, creating a new model for supporting threatened scholars through regional placements. The program enables scholars to remain near their home regions through a fellowship co-hosted by a regional institution and Cornell.
Current Virtual Scholars
Rania Elsadig Elmahdi Ahmed
Rania Elsadig Elmahdi Ahmed is a Sudanese biomedical engineer whose research focuses on brain-computer interfaces that translate neural impulses into computer commands for assistive technologies. An assistant professor at Sudan University of Science and Technology, she has authored peer-reviewed publications and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate researchers. Ahmed is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentors Azahara Oliva Gonzalez and Antonio Fernandez Ruiz in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior (A&S, CALS) while continuing her work as a fellow at the University of Rwanda in Kigali.
Ayat Abdalrahman
Ayat Abdalrahman is a Sudanese biochemist whose research focuses on natural products, phytochemistry, and medicinal plant bioactivity. An associate professor of pharmacognosy and former dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Medical Sciences and Technology in Sudan, she has supervised undergraduate and postgraduate researchers throughout her career. Abdalrahman is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentor Elad Tako, Department of Food Science (CALS), while serving as a fellow at the American University in Cairo, where she is advancing research that bridges traditional medicinal knowledge and modern biochemical approaches.
Rania Mohamed Hassan Baleela
Rania Mohamed Hassan Baleela is a Sudanese molecular biologist and public health specialist whose research explores how venomous organisms, pathogen population genetics, and climate change interact to shape health outcomes in fragile settings. An associate professor at the University of Khartoum and founding director of the Toxic Organisms Research Centre, she has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications and mentored undergraduate and postgraduate researchers. Baleela is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentor Lorraine Francis (Veterinary College) while continuing her fellowship at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Shamsaldeen Ibrahim Saeed Veterinary
Shamsaldeen Ibrahim Saeed is a microbiologist and One Health researcher. His research focuses on exploring and evaluating potential alternative antimicrobial agents, including nanoparticles and natural compounds, for the treatment and prevention of bovine mastitis, with the aim of addressing antimicrobial resistance and developing safer, more effective, and sustainable therapeutic approaches. Shamsaldeen is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentor Daryl Nydam, the departments of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences and Public and Ecosystem Health (Veterinary College), and is hosted as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Research Center for Zoonotic and Transboundary Animal Diseases (ZOTRAD), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia.
Svitlana Turlakova
Svitlana Turlakova is a Ukrainian industrial development economist whose research examines how emerging technologies, behavioral economics, and artificial intelligence shape economic transformation. A lead researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, she has published more than 150 scholarly works and mentored numerous students and early-career researchers. Turlakova is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentor Kaushik Basu in the Department of Economics (A&S) while continuing a fellowship at Sofia University in Bulgaria.
Ali Mahmoud Muddathir
Ali Muddathir is a member of the academic staff in the Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. He is currently a visiting researcher at the Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development within the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Muddathir's research focuses on ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and the cultivation of medicinal plants and vegetables. Committed to advancing global scientific discourse, he actively serves as a peer reviewer for several international scientific journals, with a long-term vision to coordinate collaborative research initiatives that bridge institutions across Africa, Asia, and North America. Muddathir's Cornell faculty mentor is Giulia Friso in the Department of Plant Biology (CALS).
Ndikum (Eric) Ndoh
Eric Ndoh is a Cameroonian geophysicist and associate professor of physics at the University of Bamenda, where he also serves as head of the Department of Physics. His research uses gravity, electrical, magnetic, and seismic data to investigate the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s subsurface. Ndoh is collaborating with Cornell faculty mentor Geoffrey Abers, William and Katherine Snee Professor in Geological Sciences (Duffield Engineering), while continuing his fellowship at the University of Cape Town in South Africa with CTU faculty host Diego Quiros, PhD ’17. Ndoh connected with Vice Provost Wendy Wolford on the Cape Town campus.
Past Virtual Scholars
Oleksandra Shtepenko
Oleksandra Shtepenko is a Ukrainian literary scholar who participated in a research fellowship at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Poland. Shtepenko collaborated with Cornell faculty mentor Anindita Banerjee in Comparative Literature (A&S). During a visit to Cornell, Shtepenko met with students and participated in the roundtable discussion Working Across Wartime Borders, sharing perspectives on scholarship, collaboration, and academic life during wartime.
Eugene Nikiforovich
Eugene Nikiforovich, Global Cornell’s first virtual scholar, is a Ukrainian professor of fluid mechanics whose research focuses on renewable energy and engineering systems. Formerly based at the National Technical University of Ukraine in Kyiv, he relocated to Latvia following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Nikiforovich collaborated with Cornell faculty and students while continuing his research, supported by Cornell and IIE. During a campus visit, he met with engineering faculty, students, and Ukrainian-language learners to explore future research partnerships and academic collaborations. Nikiforovich collaborated with faculty mentors K. Max Zhang and Jefferson William Tester (Duffield Engineering).