Katherine (Kate) Ellis is a fourth-year student at Notre Dame, pursuing a major in Global Affairs with a supplementary major in French. She is fluent in French, and has international educational experience studying French language, culture, history, politics, and art at l’Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, France (Fall 2022); Foreign Policy Analysis at the London School of Economics and International Relations in London, UK (Summer 2023); and Philosophy and Art History at Notre Dame's Campus in Rome, Italy (Summer 2025).
In addition to her background in Global Affairs and French, Ellis has educational background in Economics (Calculus, Principles of Microeconomics, Principles of Macroeconomics, Microeconomic Theory, Statistics for Economics). Kate is a Nanovic Institute Diplomacy Fellow (Spring 2025) and a Nanovic Institute EURO Fellow (Fall 2025). She is conducting her Global Affairs Capstone on French and US Legal Interpretations of Freedom of Religion. She is also working with Professor Clemens Sedmak, conducting archival research and interviews for his project studying the ethical challenges facing global Catholic universities.
Kate has research experience in the Sorin Digital Exhibit project, transcribing and translating from French to English Father Sorin's written correspondence during the years in which he founded Notre Dame. She has experience in US politics through her Summer 2024 internship with Independent Senator Angus King’s re-election campaign, where she went door-to-door connecting with Maine voters about their political concerns (with a particular focus on the preservation of Democracy). She also has past experience conducting independent research in fields ranging from climate change (with a particular focus on oil spill mitigation) to European History. Kate is enthusiastic to continue her involvement with research at Notre Dame, especially with an international focus.