The Kellogg Institute for International Studies, part of the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, is pleased to announce its 2025–26 cohort of visiting fellows. This distinguished group will join the Institute’s vibrant scholarly community, pursuing innovative research projects on campus for all or part of the upcoming academic year.
This year, eight new fellows will join two investigative journalists who began their fellowships in spring 2025 and will continue through the fall. Together, the cohort brings exceptional expertise and diverse perspectives, ranging from Liberation Theology in Argentina to electoral politics in India. These projects span critical issues in global democracy and human development, reflecting the Institute’s mission to foster interdisciplinary research on the world’s most pressing challenges.
“As part of the Kellogg Institute’s commitment to advancing Notre Dame’s Democracy Initiative, we are excited to welcome visiting fellows whose research addresses urgent questions in global democracy,” said Guadalupe Ramírez, Senior Manager of Visiting Fellows and Graduate Student Affairs. “In addition, we continue to support scholars focused on global development, reinforcing our dedication to both of the Institute’s core research themes.”
The 2025–26 visiting fellows are:
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Apurva Bamezai (Academic Year 2025–26)
PhD, Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
“Public Sector Employment as a Pathway to Electoral Politics? Evidence from India”
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Paola Bautista de Alemán (Hewlett Fellow in Public Policy, Academic Year 2025–26)
Director, Institute of Political Studies FORMA
President, Juan Germán Roscio Foundation (Venezuela)
“Political Resilience: Democracy, Backsliding Democracies, and New Authoritarianisms”
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Pablo Forni (Fall 2025)
Professor of Social Sciences and Chair, Social Sciences Research Institute, Universidad del Salvador (Argentina)
“The Theology of the People and its Popular Ministry as a Social Movement in Argentina: Grassroots Organizations, Underground Networks, and Popular Mysticism (1967 to the present)”
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Diana Graizbord (Academic Year 2025–26)
Assistant Professor of Sociology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies, University of Georgia
“A State of Dementia: Populist Austerity and Cognitive Capacity in Mexico”
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Joel Herrera (Academic Year 2025–26)
Academy Scholar, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University
“The Haphazard State: Political Power, Development, and the Making of Mexico’s Drug Wars”
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Eric Lemus Escalante (Spring 2024–Fall 2025)
Investigative Journalist, El Salvador
"Navigating Opacity: Transparency and Public Information in Authoritarian Contexts"
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Manuel Meléndez-Sánchez (Academic Year 2025–26)
PhD, Political Science, Harvard University
“Criminal Electioneering: How and Why Criminal Groups Influence Elections”
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Henry Moncrieff (Academic Year 2025–26)
PhD, Political Science, Texas Tech University
“Supporters or Bystanders? The Military’s Role in Democratic Backsliding in Latin America”
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Madai Urteaga Quispe (Academic Year 2025–26)
PhD, Political Science, Harvard University
“Agrarian Developmentalism: The Politics of Development Strategies in Latin America”
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Cristian Franquel Velix Garcia (Spring 2024–Fall 2025)
Investigative Journalist, Guatemala
"Media Narratives about Corruption in Public Infrastructure Projects in Guatemala"
Since 1983, the Kellogg Institute has offered highly selective visiting fellowships to promote interdisciplinary research on democracy and human development. Fellows benefit from dedicated time and resources to advance their scholarship, collaborate with peers, and engage with the broader Notre Dame community. The program welcomes scholars, policymakers, and journalists from around the world, enriching the Institute’s intellectual life and global impact.
Click here to see all scholars who have been Kellogg visiting fellows throughout the years.