The Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute (HRI) continues a long tradition of support for student, faculty, and staff scholarship, research, and experiential learning. For more information about the awards and eligibility, this year’s recipients, individual projects and their impact, navigate to the pages linked in each award title. Congratulations to each of our more than two dozen awardees!
2026 Faculty Seed Grant
The objective of the seed grant competition is to support and promote faculty research projects on human rights and to facilitate the writing of external grant proposals. Proposed research projects intend make a significant contribution to ongoing scholarly and/or policy debates in the field of human rights.
Sarah Willen, Professor of Anthropology and Co-Director, Global Health and Human Rights Program
“Public Health in Crisis: Tracing the Multi-level Impact and Human Rights Implications of Gender-Based Violence Prevention Program Closures at CDC”
2026 Small Grants for Faculty & Staff Research in Human Rights
Our research grant competition for faculty and staff supports and promotes research projects on human rights related questions. Projects endeavor to make a significant contribution to ongoing scholarly and/or policy debates in the field of human rights.
Kathryn Libal, Professor, Social Work and Human Rights
“Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the United States during an Era of Severe Restrictionism: Volunteer and Service Provider Perspectives”
Catherine Masud & Janie Cole, Assistant Professor In-Residence, Human Rights Documentary Filmmaking; Assistant Professor of Musicology
“The Making of Gabriel”
Michael Orwicz, Co-Chair, Research Program on Arts and Human Rights, Associate Professor, Art History
Translation for “Evidence at the Limits of the Visible: Art, Human Rights, and Environmental Justice” by Alice Miceli
2026 Dissertation Writing Fellowship
In an effort to support UConn graduate students writing doctoral dissertations with a human rights focus, the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute selected one dissertation fellowship awardee for the 2026-27 academic year.
Madeline Baird, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Anthropology
“Embodied Borders: Navigating Transit Migration and U.S. Asylum Access”
2026 Dissertation Research Fellowship
To support primary research activities towards dissertation research, HRI selected one dissertation research fellowship awardee for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Craig Mortley, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Social Work
“The Architecture of Precarious Belonging: How Asylum Law and Institutional Practice Shape the Structural Conditions of Belonging for LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers”
2026 Graduate Student Research Grant
The Human Rights Research Grant Competition supports and promotes research projects on human rights related questions among graduate students at UConn.
Jacob Harold Finnegan, Master’s Student, Department of History
“Dignifying Death and the Making of Veterans’ Rights in the Grand Army of the Republic”
Rojda Idil Arslan, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies
“Empathy, Hospitality and the Human Rights Novel in Kurdistan”
Elyse Smith, Ph.D. Student, Department of Anthropology
“Collaborative Ethnography on the Native American Political Ecologies of Peyote”
2026 Undergraduate Scholarship Awardees
The Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute offers tuition scholarships to academically outstanding undergraduate students who are majoring or minoring in human rights and enrolled full time at the University of Connecticut.
Eva Dannison, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Political Science Major, Social Responsibility and Impact in Business Minor
Mark S. Rudy Award
Gabriel Duffany, Class of 2028, Human Rights, Communication, and Political Science Major
Mark S. Rudy Award
Chevintha Edirisinghe, Class of 2027, Physiology and Neurobiology Major, Human Rights Minor
Open Society Foundations Award
Magnolia Hart, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Political Science Major, Economics Minor
Mark S. Rudy Award
Katrina Hatch, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Environmental Studies Major
Wiktor Osiatyński Award & Laura Chapman Rubbo Award
Jimena Romero, Class of 2028, Chemical Engineering Major, Human Rights Minor
Open Society Foundations Award
Kenzie Styles, Class of 2028, Human Rights and Sociology Major
Mark S. Rudy Award
Serenity Taylor, Class of 2028, Human Rights and Sociology Major, Africana Studies Minor
Alan B. Slifka Award
2026 HRI Internship Fellow Awardees
Our Summer Internship Fellow Program grew out of a desire to help students find internship placements at premier human rights organizations and respected international initiatives. We have proudly developed dedicated placements for UConn human rights students and facilitate the recruitment and selection process. After a rigorous application process, students selected to participate in each of these opportunities are granted substantial financial support.
Lara Flank Contin, Class of 2028, Human Rights and Sociology Major
Bellwether International
Open Society Foundations Award
Katherine Gutierrez, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Political Science Major, Special Program in Law
Connecticut Institute for Refugee & Immigrants
Open Society Foundations Award
Katrina Hatch, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Environmental Studies Major
Business and Human Rights Center
Eversource Energy Chair in Business Award
Lukas Heil, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Sociology Major
Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
Open Society Foundations Award
Suleen Kareem, Class of 2027, Human Rights and Philosophy Major
Bellwether International
Open Society Foundations Award
Reem Saood, Class of 2028, Human Rights and Political Science Major, Pre-Law
Amnesty International
Open Society Foundations Award
Malakoot Tabarssi, Class of 2027, Political Science Major, Human Rights Minor
Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
Open Society Foundations Award
2026 Summer Capstone Scholarship
The Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute provides financial assistance to human rights majors seeking to complete their human rights capstone each summer. We believe in the importance of experiential learning – and in equity of access to experiential learning opportunities.
Megan Katnik, Class of 2026, Human Rights and Journalism Major, Writing and English Minor
Distressed Children and Infants International (DCI)
Open Society Foundations Award
Autumn Loewen, Class of 2028, Human Rights and American Sign Language Major
Latham Centers, Located in Brewster, MA
Open Society Foundations Award
Julia Marin, Class of 2026, Human Rights and Political Science Major
The Thomas Merton Family Center
Open Society Foundations Award
