Center for the Study of Global Issues

Introducing the Fall 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab! These students will participate in GLOBIS human rights research projects while taking an advanced human rights and research design course, ultimately conducting their own independent research related to human rights.

Learn more about the research lab and its previous cohorts at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-research-education/.

Congratulations to Jessica Dick, GLOBIS Operations Coordinator, for being recognized with SPIA’s 2026 Staff Award of Distinction!

The SPIA’s Staff Award of Distinction recognizes a staff member’s exceptional service, dedication, and meaningful contributions to the University of Georgia community, including innovation, leadership, and support of the public good, honoring individuals who demonstrate excellence in their roles at SPIA while positively impacting colleagues, students, and the broader campus community. A University of Georgia Double Dawg (BA Political Science; MA Nonprofit Management and Leadership), Jessica has worked at the GLOBIS Center since 2013, where she currently serves as a liaison and Business Manager focusing on the study abroad programs offered by the center.

In her nomination, GLOBIS Director Dr. K Chad Clay shared: “Jessica Dick is the heart of GLOBIS. She has been absolutely critical to our success over the last few years. As a SPIA alum and longtime employee, she views GLOBIS as her home, and she continues to do everything in her power to help GLOBIS succeed. We are incredibly lucky to have her.”

Additionally, Alexandra Audrain, GLOBIS Student Assistant, attested: “Jessica is truly the glue of the GLOBIS Center. After working with her for nearly three years, I can confidently say that Jessica is one of the most supportive mentors I have ever worked with. She is kind, capable, and always eager to lend a helping hand. She is the backbone that ensures hundreds of students get to experience the life-changing opportunity of studying abroad with the University of Georgia. She is a one-woman welcoming committee to all who enter the SPIA office. There is truly no better representative for the SPIA’s Staff Award of Distinction.”

We are so grateful for all of the time and dedication Jessica has poured into GLOBIS over the past 13 years. Join us in celebrating Jessica Dick, recipient of SPIA’s 2026 Staff Award of Distinction!

On April 24, 2026, the SPIA Undergraduate Research Colloquium (URC) took place at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. The SPIA URC is an annual event that brings together faculty and students from across SPIA to celebrate the accomplishments of our students and the faculty that facilitate their research. This year, several GLOBIS students took part in the event, sharing their findings from research conducted through the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab, the BBCITS Security Leadership Program, or other research projects. These students researched topics including strategic risk in the age of online sports betting, native language instruction on human rights interpretation, proxy agents and post-conflict violence against women, and more. We are so proud of all of our students who participated in the SPIA URC 2026!

Find out more about the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-research-education/.

Meet Emily Hwang, a student in the Spring 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab!

Emily is a 3rd Year from Suwanee, GA majoring in Political Science and International Affairs with minors in Human Rights & Security and Korean Language & Literature. Her research utilizes a human security framework to analyze how the rapid expansion of online sports betting constitutes a systemic violation of individual rights to health, physical integrity, and economic liberty while weaponizing personal debt into a national security vulnerability.

Outside of the GHRRL, Emily is a Security Leadership Program Fellow at the Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade and Security and serves as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for Dr. Gbemende Johnson. She also participated in the Yonsei International Summer School (YISS) at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and was awarded the Global Perspectives Scholarship in 2023. Additionally, Emily is a published writer for the Georgia Political Review. This summer, she will be working as a legislative intern in Senator Warnock’s office in Washington, D.C.

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Global Issues Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-2/

Meet Maia Norman, a student in the Spring 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab!

Maia is a 4th Year from Cu***ng, GA majoring in International Affairs and Anthropology with a minor in International Human Rights and Security. Her research focuses on violence against women in post-conflict spaces. Outside of the GHRRL, Maia conducts research in the Local Diplomacy Lab with Dr. Maryann Gallagher researching how local actors engage in international diplomacy, with a focus on the localization of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. She also studies away with SPIA at Oxford last Spring, taking tutorials in Terrorism, War & Human Security, and International Law.

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Global Issues Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-2/.

Meet Ella Bryan, a student in the Spring 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab!

Ella is a 4th Year from Alpharetta, GA majoring in International Affairs with an emphasis in Security. Her research interests include the impact of vigilante groups on protecting human rights, and to what end they achieve their goals in relation to state-sanctioned violence. Outside of the GHRRL, Ella has worked in the Weapons Governance Lab, conducted CURO research, and participated in the GLOBIS Ireland Summer Study Away program.

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Global Issues Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-2/

The Center for the Study of Global Issues (GLOBIS) would like to congratulate Alexandra Audrain on her selection for the Presidential Award of Excellence, one of the University of Georgia's highest undergraduate honors. Alex proudly calls the Center for the Study of Global Issues (GLOBIS) her home on campus, having participated in the Ireland and SPIA a Firenze study away programs, as well as the Fall 2024 GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab. She has worked as our Public Relations Student Assistant for the last three years.

Alongside her work at GLOBIS, Alex is a First Honor Graduate majoring in International Affairs and Women’s and Gender Studies, with a minor in International Human Rights and Security and Certificates in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and Global Studies. Throughout her time at the University of Georgia, she has held several leadership roles on campus, including as an Orientation Leader, Vice President of Member Engagement of the Panhellenic Council, Director of First Year Engagement of the Student Government Association, and Founding Chapter President of the Women’s Network at UGA.

The Presidential Award of Excellence is given to students nearing graduation "who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, strong extracurricular involvement, and service to and involvement in their respective school." According to GLOBIS's director, Dr. K. Chad Clay, Alex is incredibly deserving of the award: "Alex has been a core contributor to GLOBIS's success over the last three years, while also being one of the most outstanding participants in a number of our programs. I can't express how much we will miss her at the Center, but I sincerely can't wait to observe all of the amazing things that she will do after she graduates."

Congratulations, Alex!

Meet Naureen Lakhani, a student in the Spring 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab!

Naureen is a 4th Year from Duluth, GA majoring in International Affairs and Political Science with a minor in Criminal Justice Studies. Her research interests include the human rights of immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, specifically in immigration detention centers. Outside of the GHRRL, Naureen has interned with the International Rescue Committee as an Immigration Casework Intern and is passionate about immigration law and rights.

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Global Issues Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-2/

Join us in congratulating Dr. Linn Normand, associate professor of international affairs and resident fellow at the Center for the Study of Global Issues, for being selected as a 2026 Special Collections Faculty Teaching Fellow!

As one of twelve University of Georgia faculty members selected by UGA's Special Collections Library, Dr. Normand will reimagine historical pieces into active-learning opportunities for students. Learn more about the fellowship here: https://www.libs.uga.edu/news/uga-libraries-names-twelve-faculty-2026-special-collections-fellows?fbclid=IwdGRjcARA8V9jbGNrBEDxWGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhb9mChAzKU_UD8TpvZ9FVW-WHRC9v8kZeJsJ00k1xUJtRmaoYZDeLwq-vj5_aem_h6hdgaMBGENYnaVwTl14xg.

Congratulations, Dr. Normand!

Meet Mayerlyn Rivera, a student in the Spring 2026 Cohort of the GLOBIS Human Rights Research Lab!

Mayerlyn is a 4th Year from Marietta, GA majoring in International Affairs with minors in French and International Human Rights and Security with a News Literacy Certificate. Her research interests include how increased military policing and mobilization in the Latin American region may affect human rights fulfillment in the region, as well as the effect of regional civil wars in the late 20th century on present day military policing. Outside of the GHRRL, Mayerlyn participated in the Summer 2024 GLOBIS Ireland study away program and a Spring 2025 Exchange Student program at the Institute of Political Sciences in Paris, France. She has also interned with the Jeannette Rankin Foundation, a local non-profit organization, since Fall 2024, assisting in their mission, empowering women through education.

Learn more about the Center for the Study of Global Issues Human Rights Research Lab at https://spia.uga.edu/departments-centers/center-for-the-study-of-global-issues-globis-2/human-rights-2/