Mahbubeh Moqadam, born and raised in Tehran, Iran is a third-year Ph.D. student. Mahbubeh holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Tehran University, a master's degree in Women and Gender Studies from Allameh Tabatabaie University in Iran, and another master's in Sociology from the Maxwell School in the US. Her current research focuses on the roles and experiences of Generation Z in digital...

Fatou Jobe is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in sociology from Senegambia. She obtained her BA in economics from the University of Connecticut and completed her master’s degree in African Studies at UIUC. Her research interests center around international fishery processes, with a specific focus on gendered dynamics within the industry, local environmental perceptions, and the sustainable development...

Asmaa Elsayed is currently pursuing her doctorate within the Department of Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the  College of Education. Her academic journey is marked by examining the nuances of education as a transformative tool for empowerment. Asmaa’s research examines the potential of emancipatory and transformative lifelong learning as a pathway for fostering healing,...

Nehal Elmeligy, born and raised in Cairo, is a Sociology Ph.D. candidate. She forecasts graduating in May 2025; the tentative title of her dissertation is Emergent Publics in the Time of Unpredictable Crackdowns: The Impact of Online/Offline Feminist Counterpublics in Contemporary Egypt. Briefly, this is a qualitative study of nine Egyptian feminist initiatives founded between...

Seung Deok received a 2024-2025 Illinois Global Institute Fellowship to study Arabic. Seung is a Ph.D. student in Political Science, specializing in the study of foreign aid effectiveness and NGO cooperation, focusing on Middle Eastern countries. 

Aysenur Senel received a 2024-2025 Illinois Global Institute Fellowship to study Arabic. Aysenur is a PhD student in Architecture with a concentration in History and Theory. 

Eylul Begum Saglam was awarded for IGI Language Fellowship 2024-25. Eylul, a graduate student in the Political Science Department, will develop her Arabic.

Congratulations to GRID student Mahbubeh Moqadam for presenting at the American Sociological Association (ASA) Conference in a regular session! Mahbubeh's presentation titled "On Transnational Feminist Solidarity: A Study on Feminist Activists in the Middle East."

Congratulations to GRID student Nehal Elmeligy for presenting at the American Sociological Association (ASA) Conference in a regular session! Nehal presentation titled "Victim Blaming in Contemporary Egypt: Mainstream Narratives Vs. Feminist Counternarratives" And congratulations to her for receiving honorable mention for her paper titled ...

Congratulations to GRID student Fatou H Jobe for presenting at the American Sociological Association (ASA) Conference! Her presentation titled "Fishmeal Processing as a Catalyst for Women and Youth Solidarity in the Gambia"