Advancing Knowledge and Inquiry

As research extends into global domains in the pursuit of wisdom, truth, and progress, Notre Dame Global (NDG) offers support for those interested in teaching, research, or service learning opportunities abroad.

Through a network of 12 global locations, strategic partnerships, and logistical knowledge, NDG assists faculty and students with academic events; facilitates communication with libraries, archives, and special collections; and provides funding through a number of grants for faculty-led initiatives.

Psychology professors design cutting-edge intervention program for Palestinian families

Laura Miller-Graff A woman with long blonde hair, light eyes, a teal blouse, and a green necklace looks thoughtfully down.

For over a decade, Notre Dame psychology professors Laura Miller-Graff and Mark Cummings have been visiting Gaza and the West Bank to do transformational research. The collaboration began when Miller-Graff first began her appointment at Notre Dame in 2013 (though their connection goes back even further—Miller-Graff was an undergraduate in Cummings’ lab). They made an excellent match as collaborators due to their shared interest in the impact of political violence on children. Learn more about their research path.

Mark Cummings Smiling man with glasses, light brown hair, light blue shirt, dark blue v-neck sweater, and patterned tie.

São Paulo climate conference affirmed mutual desire for global, interdisciplinary collaboration

Conversations, ideas, and future collaborations bloomed at “Bridging Worlds: Cultivating Research Partnerships for Climate Hope,” the pre-COP conference co-organized by Notre Dame Global, Notre Dame São Paulo, Notre Dame Research, and the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership in São Paulo, Brazil. The conference brought together 12 faculty members from Notre Dame and 21 faculty members and scholars from several prominent Brazilian universities. Learn more about the conference.

A large group of diverse professionals smile, posing before a "USP PRE-COP 30" banner with a green tree background.

Professor organizes symposium focused on food insecurity and climate resilience in East Africa

Man in blue suit presents. Screen: "Why Am I Here?" and University of Notre Dame polymer tech research. Attendees at a table.

For Assistant Professor Gabriel Burks, orienting his work and study around human needs isn’t just a hopeful ideal, it’s a priority. It’s why he spent years in STEM education. It’s why he co-founded a company that developed a sustainable option for farmers to protect their crops from frost. It’s why he came to Notre Dame to teach the next generation of engineers and scientists. And it’s what took him to Nairobi this summer to conduct a symposium that gathered scholars and government leaders to tackle urgent food and climate challenges. Learn more about Professor Burks' symposium.

“So many times we make assumptions about what the needs of people are; for me, interacting with the people that I intend to impact is so important to inform my science in the most accurate way possible.”

Four smiling young adults sit on rocks in a green terraced valley with mountains. One wears a Notre Dame shirt, another gives a thumbs up.

Nepal study abroad program leads to research opportunity with real-world impact

2025 marked the first year of the Nepal Summer: Sustainability and Energy Systems summer study abroad program. Like all study abroad programs, the program was intentionally designed to combine coursework with cultural immersion, appealing especially to engineering students but open to students from all disciplines and grade levels. Led by Professor Peter Burns, the five-week program in Kathmandu provided an overview of the challenges of sustainable energy in a global context and an in-depth understanding of its role and impact in Nepal. Learn how the program impacted the students.

Is a Perfect World Possible? Ansari Institute Co-Sponsors Utopias Conference

A woman presents to an audience in a bright conference room at Notre Dame Beijing, with presentation slides on screens.

What is the ideal society? What policies, practices, procedures, and structures are required to obtain that ideal? Might the pursuit of perfectionism become the enemy of the good? These questions were the focus of a conference that took place at Notre Dame Beijing on December 20, 2025. “Utopias and Their Pursuits” was organized by Liang Cai, an Associate Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, and brought together Catholic, Islamic, Greco-Roman, and Chinese thought and historical experience into conversation with each other. Read more about the conference.

Ph.D. student gets unique experience researching at Trinity College through Naughton Fellowships grant

A focused scientist in a blue lab coat and gloves attaches a tip to a pipette in a lab.

“This feels like more of a shift into some really hardcore bioengineering,” she says. “So it's fairly new and exciting, and I know that by the end of my time in Dublin, I will have learned so many new techniques, grown as a scientist, and ultimately have a lot to bring back to my lab at Notre Dame.”

When Meenal Datta, Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, submitted a proposal with Irish colleagues David Hoey (Trinity College Dublin) and Despina Bazou (Maynooth University) for the Naughton Faculty Research Accelerator Grant Program, she knew someone from Notre Dame would need to be on the ground in Ireland to help support the work. Luckily, she had just the graduate student for the job: Bianca Batista. Read more of Bianca's story