Graduate Students
Rachel Adler
radler@uci.edu
Political Science
Benjamin Aaron
baaron@uci.edu
Visual Studies
Chima Anyadike-Danes
canyadik@uci.edu
Anthropology
Research interests focus on the place, and identity, making practices of the Mongolian
diaspora in Los Angeles
Cherish Bolton
cherishbolton@gmail.com
History
Study the British Empire in South Asia during the 19th and 20th centuries, specifically
culture and identitiy formation in pre-independence India
Colin Cahill
colin.w.cahill@gmail.com
Anthropology
Medical and cultural politics in Southeast Asia
Aleksandra (Leksa) Chmielewski
achmiele@uci.edu
Anthropology
Museum representation, history and memory, new media, consumption and class, China
and the US.
Matt Combs
mtcombs@uci.edu
History
Matt's research explores the intersection of imperialism and technology in East Asia
as seen in the colonial production of camphor and its use in plastics, photographic
film, and gunpowder.
Maura Cunningham
maura.cunningham@uci.edu
History
Modern China, particularly 19th-20th century; urban history; transportation and communications
networks
Brian Denny
briansdenny@gmail.com
Political Science
Research interests focus on Modern China and include adaptive governance relating
to social movements and changes in Chinese civil society.
Cheryl Deutsch
cdeutsch@uci.edu
Anthropology
Marketing and the market, privatized spaces of consumption, street vendors and super
markets, the idea of the informal economy, social movements and NGO's, gender in contemporary
India
Sonia Desai
smdesai@uci.edu
Drama
Laurie Dickmeyer
ldickmey@uci.edu
History
Although US history is my first field of sudy, I am interested in early US trade
relations with China.
Andrew Duncan
andrew.duncan@uci.edu
Sociology
Vivian Eng
veng@uci.edu
History
My interests are 20th century Chinese diaspora and transnational migration.
Elsa Fan
fane@uci.edu
Anthropology
Elsa Fan is currently a third-year graduate student in anthropology. Her research
interests focus on HIV/AIDS in China in terms of governance, citizenship and humanitarianism
and the different opportunities/tensions enabled through AIDS.
Yunxiang Gao
yunxiang@uci.edu
Music
Pipa. Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology
Josh Gellers
jgellers@uci.edu
Political Science
I study environmental rights in South Asia
Padma Govindan
govindan@uci.edu
Anthropology
My interests and research: human trafficking and anti-trafficking efforts, the US
and India, human righgs, American volunteerism, the anthropology of social movements,
gender sexuality
Amy Grubb
agrubb@uci.edu
Political Science
Kim Icreverzi
kicrever@uci.edu
Comparative Literature
Japanese Cinema
Laura Beltz Imaoka
limaoka@uci.edu
Visual Studies
My research analyzes geographic informatin systems as commercial media platforms,
along with their geo-literacy value and use during global media events such as the
Fukushima/East Japan Disaster.
Eun Hae Jeong
ehjeong@uci.edu
Anthropology
Eun Hae Jeong is currently studying reproductive technologies in South Korea. She
is specifically interested in the production and use of genetic knowledge in reproductive
technologies, as well in the field of adoption. Her broader interests include the
development of genetic science and bioethics in South Korea.
Robert (Robbie) Kett
rkett@uci.edu
Anthropology
Elizabeth Kim
ekim330@gmail.com
Psychology and Social Behavior
My research interests include the cross-cultural study of children's conformity to
others, particularly with regard to collectivist cultures.
Dan Knorr
dknorr@uci.edu
History
Yimin Lai
ylai5@uci.edu
Anthropology
__________________________________________________________________________________Wayne Lalicon
wlalicaon@uci.edu
Political Science
Lalicon would like to conduct research that will illuminate the substantial social, political and economic transnational linkages between the Philippine diaspora and the Philippine state. He is interested in two specific issues within political transnationalism: (i) how the state promotes and maintains labor migration ; and (ii) the social and political activity of expatriate Filipinos with respect to Philippine society and politics. Eventually, he would like to compare the Philippine experience with other states that are heavily reliant on remittances.
Wondong Lee
lwondong@uci.edu
Political Science
Lee’s primary academic interests lie in how religious discourses shape the way Christian Right in South Korea and the U.S. interpret the world and act upon it. He’s attempting to critically look into the intersection of transnational religious activism, conservative human rights norms, and political ethics as related to the Christian Rights’ engagement in social change.
Wei Li
wli3@uci.edu
Planning, Policy and Design
Environmental policy, planning, and management; pricing of public goods; economics of natural resources; pollution control and damage assessment; transportation policy and economics; sustainable development in China
Colin Moore
colinm@uci.edu
Political Science
International Relations, Korea-US relations
Kris Noam
kzuiderv@uci.edu
Sociology
Immigration and incorporation, second-generation Chinese, cross-national comparison, cultural transmission, child rearing practices, intermarriage ethnic identity.
Graham Odell
godell@uci.edu
Political Science
China, NE Asia, nationalism, political development, and political identity
Aditya Ramesh
ramesha1@uci.edu
History, South Asia
__________________________________________________________________________________
Karen Robinson
kjrobins@uci.edu
Sociology
Culture, Social Theory, Globalization; South Korea
Xia Shi
shix@uci.edu
History
Shi's concentration is in modern China, particularly 19th-20th century, women's and gender history.
Christina Spiker
cspiker@uci.edu
Visual Studies
Jinsuhk Suh
jinsuhks@uci.edu
Planning, Policy, and Design
Dissertation theme is related to environmental issues or policies in South East Asia areas
Beijie Tang
btang@uci.edu
Political Science
Wang Chen-cheng
chenchew@uci.edu
History
Chen-cheng's focus is the influence of political cultures, specifically the organizational cultures on the regimes' political capacities in Modern Chinese history. And how these cultures affected the models and strategies these regimes adopted in the process of political mobilization.
Thomas Worger
tworger@uci.edu
History
Worger's primary field of research is 20th century China, specifically law in the 1920s and 30s.
Karen Wu
karenw1@uci.edu
Psychology and Social Behavior
Wu is interested in examining cultural differences in enhancement and verification processes within intimate relationships. For instance, do people prefer that their partners view them more positively than they view themselves, or do they prefer that their partners view them similarly? How might such preferences differ across culture, depending on the perceived nature of attributes?
Yidi Wu
yidiw@uci.edu
History
Concentration in 20th century China, particularly student protests and social movements
in the Communist period.
Chuning Xie
xiec1@uci.edu
History
Interest in China as well as Japan
Leah Zani
lzani@uci.edu
Anthropology
Southeast Asia, Buddhism, the Secret War, landmines and rehabilitation technologies