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Latin American and Caribbean Studies

William Ronnie Coffman

Ronnie Coffman

International Professor Emeritus of Plant Breeding and Genetics

Geographic Research Area: South Asia

Teaching/Research Interests: Agricultural biotechnology, intellectual property, international agriculture, international development, and plant breeding and genetics

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Professor Emeriti
    • SAP Faculty Associate
      • SEAP Faculty Associate

Contact

Phone: 607-255-2554

Judith Byfield

Judith_Byfield

Judith and Madeline Anbinder Professor

Judith Byfield’s primary research focus is women's social and economic history in Nigeria. Her research includes in-depth studies on tie-dye production, World War II, Nigerian women's political activism and nationalism.

She is currently a Fulbright Global Scholar beginning a new project, "Curry Goat and Gari: West Indian Women in 20th-Century Lagosian Society."  It is inspired by the West Indian women she met during her research trips to Nigeria.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Core Faculty
    • LACS Steering Committee

Contact

John Barceló

John Barcelo standing behind podium

William Nelson Cromwell Professor Emeritus, Law School

John Barceló is interested in international commercial arbitration, trade agreements, European Union law, and international law. He has been principally responsible for developing Cornell's international legal studies program over several decades.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Professor Emeriti

Contact

Arthur Agnello

Arthur_Agnello

Professor Emeritus

Arthur Agnello is the primary contributor to the development and implementation of the fruit program area plan of work that addresses the needs of diverse audience groups.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Faculty Associate
    • LACS Professor Emeriti

Contact

Héctor D. Abruña

Hector_Abruna

Emile M. Chamot Professor

Héctor D. Abruña is interested in development and characterization of new materials using a wide variety of techniques for fuel cells, batteries, and molecular assemblies for molecular electronics. He is focused on collaborations between Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source and research institutions in Puerto Rico.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Faculty Associate

Contact

Rebecca Nelson

Rebecca Nelson

Professor, Integrative Plant Science

My interests and objectives pertain to plant pathology, plant breeding and international agriculture. I serve as Scientific Director for The McKnight Foundation's Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP), a competitive grants program that funds agricultural research in developing countries.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • LACS Faculty Associate

Contact

Phone: 607-254-7475

Steven Kyle

Steve Kyle

Associate Professor, Applied Economics and Management

Steven Kyle is an associate professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. He works in the areas of macroeconomic policy in the United States and in low-income countries. His recent work includes studies of the economies of Portuguese-speaking African countries, the outlook for the U.S. economy, and issues in the management of transition economies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Additional Information

Program

Role

  • Faculty
  • IAD Core Faculty
    • LACS Faculty Associate

Contact

Lourdes Benería Award

The deadline for this opportunity has passed.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2026
Application Timeframe: Spring
Bogota, Colombia Cityscape

Details

The Lourdes Benería Award for summer field research supports students studying gender and planning in Latin America or the Caribbean.

The award was established in 2018 with a generous gift from Lourdes Benería. LACS manages the awards, which fund up to $2,000 for in-country travel and field expenses directly related to dissertation or project paper research (not conference travel or international airfare).

If you need a grant for the cost of international airfare to get to the country of your study site from the U.S., please apply for an Einaudi Center Travel Grant.  

Eligibility

Recipients must be enrolled (full-time or in absentia) in a graduate degree program and be registered at the time of the award. Students must be Cornellians doing research in Latin America or the Caribbean. 

Notification of award selection will be sent in late March.

 

Additional Information

Funding Type

  • Award

Role

  • Student

Program

LACS Graduate Student Summer Research Grants

The deadline for this opportunity has passed.
Application Deadline: February 28, 2026
Application Timeframe: Spring
Cuba on Summer Research Grant Pg

Details

LACS will offer up to three research grants to qualified graduate students who need to conduct field research over the summer of 2026.

Amount

Up to $1000 each.

Eligibility

Criteria for selection includes a substantive focus on Latin America or the Caribbean. Such grants are not intended to cover international travel costs (flights from the U.S. to the country of study). If you need a grant for the cost of international airfare to get to the country of your study site from the U.S., please apply for an Einaudi Center Travel Grant.  

How to Apply

Click the apply button below to access the online funding application. Applicants are asked to provide:

  1. A proposal of the work to be undertaken, including a detailed budget.
  2. A tentative itinerary/schedule.
  3. A of list previous and current grant monies received.
  4. A faculty recommendation from within the applicant's area of study.

Notification of awardee selection will be sent by late March.

If your proposal includes travel to an elevated risk country, you will need to submit a request to ITART to travel. In the event that you receive Einaudi travel grant funds, the award will not be released until you complete the ITART application process. You are strongly encouraged to have a back-up plan for your project in the event that your ITART application is denied, or if the country to which you are traveling should become an elevated risk country subsequent to receiving your travel grant.

Questions

Contact the Program Manager (lacs@cornell.edu) if you have questions. 

 

Additional Information

Funding Type

  • Travel Grant

Role

  • Staff

Program

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