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
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.
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.
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.
Alexander Cole
PhD student, Physics Alexander Cole is pursuing a PhD in physics, performing research at the intersection of string theory, cosmology, and data science. Cole is interested in connecting string theory to our universe.
Samuel Porter
PhD candidate, History Samuel writes in his dissertation about the long process of Japan’s military demobilization after World War II. He argues that demobilization was protracted and incomplete, and that public hostility toward servicemen as well as occupation policies in Japan prevented veterans from successfully reintegrating into society once they were home.
Jorge Guerrero
PhD student, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology Jorge came to UW–Madison for graduate school with a SciMed GRS Fellowship and joined Nathan Sherer's lab to study HIV transmission. He focuses on how dendritic cells - one of the first types of cells that HIV encounters when it enters the body through a mucus membrane - aid or prevent the transmission process.
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