We are proud of the Center's affiliated graduate students, who specialize in Middle East and North African topics across a wide range of disciplines, including Anthropology, Applied Linguistics, Archaeology, Art History, Comparative Literature, Education, Ethnomusicology, French, Gender Studies, Geography, German, History, Islamic Studies, Law, Management, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Political Science, Social Welfare, Sociology, Spanish, Theater, and Urban Planning. A list of recent fellows are listed below.
UCLA graduate students with Middle East specialties are invited to join the Center's activities. To add your name to our mailing list, send an email message.
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) awards are provided by a grant from the US Department of Education Title VI program.
FLAS Academic Year 2023-24
Sunny Chen, History, Arabic
Roxanne Corbeil, Sociology, Arabic
Ava Hess, Art History, Arabic
Jodie Miller, French and Francophone Studies, Persian
Ryan Schaller, French and Francophone Studies, Arabic
FLAS Summer 2023
Michael Aboutboul, Ethnomusicology, Turkish
Courtney Blue, Ethnomusicology, Arabic
Lily Hindy, History, Sorani Kurdish
Larissa St. Clair, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Joseph Weinger, Sociology, Arabic
FLAS Academic Year 2022-23
Kaleb Adney, History, Turkish
Sara Hussein, History, Turkish
Glenn Maur, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Sarah Robinson, Ethnomusicology, Persian
Avery Weinman, History, Hebrew
Gilad Wenig, Sociology, Arabic
Fehma Zahid, Anthropology, Turkish
FLAS Summer 2022
Kaleb Adney, History, Turkish
Nora Bairamian, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Turkish
Noel Bynum, Education, Arabic
Sunny Chen, History, Arabic
Deniz Citak, History, Arabic
Madison Gates, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Shantanu Havaldar, History, Persian
Jodie Miller, French and Francophone Studies, Persian
Benjamin Weinger, Geography, Arabic
Avery Weinman, History, Hebrew
Cristi Whiskey, History, Arabic
FLAS Academic Year 2021-22
Jennifer Manoukian, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Armenian
Glenn Maur, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Abdullah Puckett, Anthropology, Arabic
Sarah Robinson, Ethnomusicology, Persian
Simone Salmon, Ethnomusicology, Turkish
Andrew Smith, Islamic Studies, Arabic
Rachel Smith, History, Hebrew
Benjamin Weinger, Geography, Arabic
Joseph Weinger, Sociology, Arabic
Omid Rahimdel, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Persian
FLAS Summer 2021
Brooke Baker, Islamic Studies, Arabic
Spencer Pennington, History, Persian
Lori Pirinjian, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Russian
Alberto Diaz Ruvalcaba, Islamic Studies, Hebrew
Gilad Wenig, Sociology, Arabic
Benjamin Weinger, Geography, Arabic
Cristi Whiskey, History, Arabic
FLAS Academic Year 2020-21
Asadullah Bigzad, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Nicholas Brown, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Philip Hoffman, History, Turkish
Glenn Maur, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Ethan Mefford, History, Arabic
Brigid Morris, Political Science, Arabic
Anahit Pogossian, Education, Armenian
Brady Ryan, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Amber Sackett, French and Francophone Studies, Arabic
Simone Salmon, Ethnomusicology, Turkish
FLAS Summer 2020
Kaleb Adney, History, Turkish
Atiyeh Taghiei, Islamic Studies, Arabic
Lily Hindy, History, Turkish
Madison Deyo, International Development Studies, Turkish
Noel Bynum, Education, Arabic
FLAS Academic Year 2019-20
Kaleb Adney, History, Arabic
Mohsin Ali, Islamic Studies, Persian
Madison Deyo, Political Science, Turkish
Julie Ershadi, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Persian
Lilit Ghazaryan, Anthropology, Armenian
Erdem Ilter, History, Kurdish
Gabriel Lavin, Ethnomusicology, Arabic
Nicco La Mattina, Anthropology, Arabic
Saliem Shehadeh, Anthropology, Arabic
Jessie Stoolman, Anthropology, Hebrew
FLAS Summer 2019
Mohsin Ali, Islamic Studies, Persian
Amanda Bauer, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Hebrew
Madison Deyo, Political Science, Turkish
Emily Dovel, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Natalie Kamajian, World Arts and Cultures, Armenian
Azeem Malik, Islamic Studies, Persian
Nicholas Muench, Political Science, Arabic
Julianna Smith, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Hebrew
Veronica Toro, Spanish and Portuguese, Arabic
Molly Courtney, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Lily Hindy, Kurdish, History
FLAS Academic Year 2019-20
Faisal Abdullah, Islamic Studies, Hebrew
Ani Alaberkyan, Anthropology, Arabic
Nick Brown, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Robert Farley, Comparative Literature Arabic
William Geibel, Education, Turkish
Christopher Prejean, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Arabic
Mariam Rahmani, Comparative Literature, Persian
Brett Stephenson, International Development Studies, Arabic
Anatolii Tokmantcev, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Armenian
Monica Widman, Political Science, Arabic
Research, writing, publication grantees
Summer 2023 Publication Awards
Nicholas Brown, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Lori Pirinjian, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Summer 2023 Dissertation Writing Awards
Nihal Kayali, Sociology
Daniel Ohanian, History
Summer 2022 Publication Awards
Ava Hess, Art History
Lilit Ghazaryan, Anthropology
Rohan Advani, Sociology
Summer 2022 Dissertation Writing Awards
Zep Kalb, Sociology
Summer 2021 Publication Awards
Julie Ershadi, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Zep Kalb, Sociology
Jessie Stoolman, Anthropology
Summer 2021 Dissertation Writing Awards
Alessandra Amin, Art History
Molly Theodora Oringer, Anthropology
Rebecca Glasberg, French and Francophone Studies
Summer 2020 Research Awards
Izem Aral, Anthropology
Fredrick Walter Lorenz, History
Kerr fellows
Rohan Advani, Sociology
Cihangir Can, Gender Studies
Dima El-Mouallem, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Sima Ghaddar, Sociology
Safa Hamzeh, History
Mustapha Outbakat, Anthropology
Ebrahimi fellows
Zia Khoshsirat, Anthropology
Shiva Rouhani, Sociology
Mosafer awardees
Summer 2023
Matei Tichindelean, Archaeology
Summer 2022
Lily Hindy, History
Philip Hoffman, History
AY 2021-22
Izem Aral, Anthropology
Sima Ghaddar, Sociology
Summer 2021
Jarred Brewster, Anthropology
Zep Kalb, Sociology
Zia Khoshsirat, Anthropology
Mellon Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa fellows
AY Fellows 2020-21
Jessie Stoolman, Anthropology
Rachel Smith, History
Jesse Arlen, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Graduate Research Fellows 2019-21
Wisam Alshaibi, Sociology
Izem Aral, Anthropology
Burcu Buğu, Anthropology
Robert Farley, Comparative Literature
Timothy Garrett, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Ava Hess, Art History
Abdullah Puckett, Anthropology
Jessie Stoolman, Anthropology
Atiyeh Taghiei, Islamic Studies
GAANN fellows
The center's Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grant, from the US Department of Education, supported professional development for graduate students working on the MENA region.
GAANN Fellows 2018-29
Wisam Alshaibi, Sociology
Brady Ryan, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
GAANN Fellows 2017-18
Kaleb Herman Adney, History Department
Suleiman Hodali, Comparative Literature
Tim Hogue, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Nihal Kayali, Sociology
Zachary Mondesire, Anthropology
Holly Robins, Islamic Studies
GAANN Fellows 2016-17
Wisam Alshaibi, Sociology
Alessandra Amin, Art History
Jesse Arlen, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Billy Geibel, Education
Fredrick Walter Lorenz, History
Evan Metzger, Islamic Studies Program
Michael Moore, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Nada Ramadan, Sociology
Cameron Zargar, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures