Advancing Knowledge and Inquiry
As faculty research extends into global domains in the pursuit of wisdom, truth, and progress, Notre Dame International (NDI) offers support for those interested in teaching, research, or service learning opportunities abroad.
Through the global network of Gateways and Centers, strategic partnerships, and logistical knowledge, NDI assists faculty with academic events; facilitates communication with libraries, archives, and special collections; and provides funding through a number of grants for faculty-led initiatives.
Unearthing the Past
In 2019, Notre Dame theology students joined professional archaeologists to look for clues buried in the ancient soil of the Holy Land. What the students found could make valuable contributions to our understanding of life at the border of biblical Judah and Philistia, as well as the history of the land purchased in the 1960s for what became the University's campus here.
Abraham (Avi) Winitzer, the Jordan H. Kapson Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, took a group of students to the Holy Land to embark on the first formal archaeological survey of the grounds of the University of Notre Dame at Tantur. Working in conjunction with the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, the group is hoping to fill in gaps of Tantur’s history as a prominently located swath of geography for the past several millennia. The program was made possible in part by a Schlindwein Family Tel Aviv University - Notre Dame Research Grant.
Impact of Sea Level Rise in Mumbai
Krupali Uplekar Krusche is the director of DHARMA (Digital Historic Architecture and Material Analysis) and the director of DVARCA (Development and Advancement of Resilient Cities Alliance) research teams. She teaches urban and architectural design and her expertise is in digital documentation at the School of Architecture.
Her latest project involves consulting with the Mumbai Port Trust for the redevelopment of the Eastern Waterfront of Mumbai, India. She is also researching the impact of sea level rise in Mumbai and the development of the southern coast of the island city in the near future. With support from the Mumbai Global Center, Krusche participated in the third virtual event titled “Global Dialogues: The Worsening Water Crisis,” which was featured on the ThinkND platform.
Biometric Security: Defending Against Attacks in Iris Recognition
“It’s a very Hollywood-ish thing, but my team has demonstrated in the past that dead eyes can be used for recognition even a few weeks post-mortem, so developing appropriate countermeasures is a must,” says Adam Czajka, assistant professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Iris recognition only works well when it can defend against attackers using fake objects. While algorithms have been developed to identify previously known attacks, such as printouts of false irises or cosmetic contact lenses, many systems still are defenseless against unknown objects. Czajka collaborated with Domingo Mery, full professor in the Department of Computer Science at Universidad Católica de Chile (UC|Chile), to find solutions to the problem of detecting unknown types of biometric attacks.
His partnership with Mery was made possible through the Luksic Family Collaboration Grant, which seeks to encourage collaborations between Notre Dame faculty and colleagues from UC|Chile.
Mexico Virtual Lecture Series
The Mexico Virtual Lecture Series launched in 2020 with 16 online events intended to highlight the deep connections between Notre Dame and Mexico. Each lecture focuses on the current work of a Notre Dame faculty member or researcher, covering topics that vary widely from medical research to the social sciences and arts and culture.
Many of the featured researchers have benefited from Notre Dame International’s Mexico Faculty Research Grant to deepen partnerships with institutions throughout Mexico. These collaborations are central to Notre Dame’s engagement with Mexico and are highlighted in several of the lectures.
NDI Grant Opportunities
Notre Dame International encourages and supports international faculty initiatives through grant funding, partnerships in hosting conferences and events, and research support. Check out the latest grants available to Notre Dame faculty and scholars.
NDI Supports Virtual Research Collaboration
Through the generous support of University benefactors, Notre Dame International (NDI) provides funding to build, sustain, and encourage academic and research collaboration with universities across the globe. However, the global pandemic created substantial challenges for international research collaborations which had previously relied upon international travel and exchange. Research grant programs supported by benefactors enabled the creation of a virtual dimension to research collaboration programs with scholars in Asia and Mexico.
Notre Dame researchers received support from NDI to build new collaborations or strengthen current research projects in the virtual domain. Awardees of these new virtual research awards are listed here: Asia Research Collaboration Grant Awardees; Mexico Faculty Grant Program Awardees. In addition, as travel to China remained challenging, NDI spearheaded an initiative to convene conferences that engage scholars in China through a virtual conference with Shanghai International Studies University and an international conference about China in the Middle East and Africa held in Jerusalem with scholars from China and around the world.