Global Academy teams aim to strengthen ACES engagements around the world
A longstanding, impactful program housed in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) has announced its newest cohort of faculty members who will strengthen ACES connections and impacts around the world.
The 2025-2026 ACES Global Academy: Partnerships for Global Impact program includes five two-person faculty teams that will work on an international research project together while also participating in a series of relevant seminars and roundtable discussions to build skills and knowledge about international work.
The ACES Global Academy is in its 16th year and is funded by private donations.
“Many of our previous Global Academy cohorts have focused on one area of the world. For example, last academic year the group traveled to Sri Lanka to explore sustainable development. This year we chose to return to a partnership model to make several impacts in different parts of the world. We are excited about the proposed topics and what will come out of these collaborations,” said Mary Arends-Kuenning, associate dean for international programs in ACES.
Impacts from the ACES Global Academy have included synergies across ACES department lines and sustained, long term collaborations that have also resulted in external funding.
“Alumni of the program note their involvement in the Global Academy as a defining career experience that has resulted in lifelong engagements in the global arena,” added Lauren Karplus, assistant director of the ACES Office of International Programs.
The 2025-2026 ACES Global Academy Partnerships include:
Hong Chen (Food Science and Human Nutrition) and Brett Loman (Animal Sciences) – developing collaborations with colleagues at Autonomous University of Querétaro (UAQ) in Mexico to investigate innovative plant-based food products for health benefits
Salah Issa and Sunoj Shajahan (Agricultural and Biological Engineering) - Strengthening agricultural safety in South Asia
Nicolas Martin and Elhan Ersoz (Crop Sciences) – Using digital agriculture for environmental sustainability and climate resilience in Ghana
Pablo Torres-Aguilar and Damir Torrico (Food Science and Human Nutrition) – Informing strategies for healthier diets in the U.S and Kenya
Elizabeth Olson and Jessica Fish (Human Development and Family Studies) - Elevating globalized attention to the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ individuals and queer families through studying policy and practice in Iceland