Research Abroad for Doctoral Students
At the International Center, we believe that students conducting international research need resources that enable on the ground and real time fieldwork.
In our continued efforts to contribute to the research community at the University of Florida, we are committed in our support of international graduate education. Through the RADS program, we provide a unique opportunity for research conducted in international settings. New discoveries cannot stem from literature reviews, class lectures, and second hand experiences. Often, students need the exposure, experience and data that only may be obtained by international fieldwork and, one size does not fit all.
RADS provides travel and funding for accommodations for doctoral students to travel abroad to collect data or to access resources not available on campus. The extent of time can range from one week to several months. This opportunity can provide access to human subjects, physical specimens, or laboratory facilities for their research; it enables a better understanding for the cultural assumptions that form the foundation of their unique research focus. While abroad, they expand their network of potential collaborators that will continue post-graduation. In the field, students use their real world experience to advance their critical thinking skills as they navigate the full spectrum of experiences. No question, graduate students will benefit from the abroad experience and our investment can only yield positive outcomes.
RAD Awardees 2022/2023
- Shreyanshu Agrawal
Department Chemical Engineering, College: Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Ranga Narayanan & Dr. Kirk Ziegler
Proposed Research and Location: Research studies instabilities that occurs at the boundary of two phases which can be liquid-liquid or, solid, liquid etc. France - Xiaoxing Bian
Interdisciplinary Ecology, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS)
Advisor: Dr. Vanessa Hall
Proposed Research and Location: Research aims to evaluate the population abundance and habitat suitability of the endangered flagship species, the snow leopard in China, and to update the conservation strategies for the long-term survival of this species at a national level. China - Amanda Brock
Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts and Science
Advisor: Dr. Daniel Contreras
Proposed Research and Location: Examines how past societies engaged in place-making and landscape formation through constructing public monumental centers in dynamic environments in the Central Andes. Peru - Karen Coker
Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Advisor: Dr. Sara McKune
Proposed Research and Location: Investigates the social and cultural meaning of mental health and wellbeing in the context of climate change, through the Wolof psychology of Dimbalanté. Senegal - Kaitlin Gattoni
Nematology, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Dorota L. Porazinska
Proposed Research and Location: Identify key assembly processes that drive nematode community diversity and composition and define how these communities and processes change over time. Denmark - Alwin Hopf
Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Gerrit Hoogenboom
Proposed Research and Location: Research addresses sustainable agriculture through interdisciplinary advancement in the fields of alternative crops, appropriate technology and social sciences. The research combines mathematical modeling with participatory methods to facilitate the design and development of appropriate and user-focused digital farming technology to advance sustainable production of industrial hemp as a new and alternative crop in Florida. China - Megan LeBlanc
Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Susan deFrance
Proposed Research and Location: Aims to reconstruct the historical ecology of a pre-Hispanic farming and fishing community (Tacahuay Tambo) in far southern Peru that was impacted by a severe El Niño debris flow, the Miraflores Event, ca. AD 1350. Peru - Abigail Lindo
Ethnomusicology, School of Music, College of Arts
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Politz
Proposed Research and Location: Examines the contemporary musical culture driven by music festivals in São Miguel, the largest of nine islands in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. Portugal - James McQueen Parr
Nematology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Advisor: Dr. Dorota Porazinska
Proposed Research and Location: Research uses high-throughput DNA sequencing to characterize microbiomes of nematode species to understand their patterns of assembly, and functions to help us make better predictions about responses of nematodes to climate change and develop better tools to manage soils. Denmark - Karah Mechlowitz
Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Advisor: Dr. Sarah McKune
Proposed Research and Location: Research will evaluate the impact of a Community Advisory Boards (CAB) established for a community-based longitudinal study on project implementation, community engagement, and ethical considerations of research. Ethiopia - Megan Nakamura
Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts
Advisor: Dr. Eleonora Rossi
Proposed Research and Location: Study investigates the earliest neural (EEG) signatures of novel language learning as evidenced by event-related potentials (ERPs) and neural oscillations, and the modulation of these effects by factors of bilingual language experience. Norway - Savannah Troy
Interdisciplinary Ecology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Advisor: Dr. Robert Fletcher
Proposed Research and Location: Research examines and study the response of bird communities to savanna degradation in the eSwatini Lowveld. Eswatini