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People

Migration studies experts at Cornell lead and shape the Migrations Program. Meet our faculty, scholars, and staff. 

Graduate Student; Migrations Graduate Fellow

Yinka Adetu is an English language and literature PhD candidate exploring the afterlives of colonialism, and how histories of displacement shape contemporary identities and political experiences.

Reppy Fellow 2023-24; Migrations Graduate Fellow

Henry Cheng (he/they) is a PhD candidate in history, specializing in modern China, global Maoism, the Cold War, Asian American political history, and transnational radicalism.

Migrations Graduate Fellow

Joshua Felton is a PhD candidate in the section of plant biology who studies the evolution of unisexual flowers in Catopsis, the powdery air plants.

Director, Migrations Program

Kathryn Fiorella is an associate professor of public and ecosystem health in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests include planetary health/one health, fisheries, livelihoods, HIV/AIDS, nutrition and environmental change.

Edmund Ezra Day Professor and Chair

Shannon Gleeson is the Edmund Ezra Day Professor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and holds a joint appointment with the Brooks School of Public Policy. 

Migrations Graduate Fellow

Kyunghee Kang is a PhD student who studies environmental and climate-related displacement in the Global South, with a particular focus on international protection for the affected populations.

Medical Director, Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights

Gunisha Kaur is an anesthesiologist specializing in global health and human rights, particularly among displaced populations. She serves as medical director of the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights and as director of the Anesthesiology Global Health Initiative.

Graduate Student; Migrations Graduate Fellow

Carrie Mo is an MA student in Asian Studies. Her thesis examines how film production, screening, and festival circulation shape the memory of the Khmer Rouge, and how these processes are shaped by the material conditions of Cambodia’s cinematic infrastructure.

Program Manager

Kathi Colen Peck is the Program Manager for the Migrations Program. She has a Bachelor's in Anthropology from the University of Rhode Island.

Former Director, Einaudi Center
Rachel Beatty Riedl served as the Einaudi Center's director from 2019 to 2024.