The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) plays an essential role in supporting the innovative research and graduate education that are cornerstones of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. WARF invests in graduate education through University Fellowships and Advanced Opportunities Fellowships/Graduate Research Scholars. The following profiles illustrate the diverse and important ways that WARF contributes to graduate student success at UW–Madison.
WARF-funded student profiles
Jeffrey M. Thomas
PhD student, French Jeffrey M. Thomas is a PhD student in French whose research focuses on literature about and from Corsica, specifically from the 19th and 21st centuries.
Sheena Finnigan
PhD student, History Sheena’s research focuses on the history of motherhood among non-elite women in classical Rome.
Cortney Anderson Kramer
PhD candidate, Art History If you’ve ever driven by a roadside concrete art park – think sculptures, grottos, or even houses – and been intrigued, art history PhD candidate Cortney Anderson Kramer is the person to ask. Kramer studies and writes about this unique art style in the Midwest.
Karen García Escorcia
PhD student, Spanish Karen studies debt as a literary motif and a protagonist that has the power to actively impact literary characters, their ideologies, and their interpersonal relationships.
Kurt Kuehne
PhD student, Sociology Kurt’s dissertation research studies the politics of low-wage labor migration in the modern, global economy. Using a comparative case study in Southeast Asia, he discusses the hidden costs for migrant workers that come with temporary guest worker programs.
Brianna Lafoon
PhD student, History and Educational Policy Studies Brianna's research examines how schooling intersected with nation-building and expansion in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, specifically regarding African American, immigrant, and colonial subjects.
Steffen Silvis
PhD student, Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Steffen studies the role that Japanese Noh theatre played in the development of American modernist drama and dance.
Laura M. Alexander
PhD candidate, Microbiology As a member of Dr. Jan Peter van Pijkeren’s probiotics lab, Laura focuses on the development of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri as a biotherapeutic delivery vehicle.
Dylan Schmitz
PhD student, Mechanical Engineering Dylan studies how wearable robotic exoskeletons change the forces on the tendons and ligaments inside the body.
Mónica Rodríguez Morris
MS student, Civil and Environmental Engineering Mónica’s research focuses on sustainability and life cycle assessments. Specifically, she works on the impact of bioplastics on solid waste management infrastructure and the environment.
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