Research Clusters aim to foster a range of new ideas in multi-disciplinary setting, wherever they might be taking shape. Identifying fields and research questions that do not belong to a particular department, research clusters encourage new groupings that may grow into longer-term partnerships or provide briefer bursts of inspiration and pollination. Research clusters are less formalized groups of faculty and graduate students within the School of Humanities that may also include faculty and graduate students from other Schools.

The Humanities Center provides program funds to support activities that incubate new research collaborations, foster new faculty research trajectories, and develop project ideas for implementation.

2026-2027 Research Clusters

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Faculty Directors:
David H. Colmenares, Comparative Literature
Nicole T. Hughes, Latin American and Iberian Cultures

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Faculty Director: Christopher T. Fan, English

Graduate Student Fellow: Demetrius Tien, Global Studies

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Graduate Student Directors: Benjamin Connor, Comparative Literature and Maryam Salehi, Comparative Literature

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Graduate Student Directors:  Christine Dianne Guiyangco and Madison Noelle Mackenzie, Comparative Literature

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Faculty Director: Jon L. Pitt, East Asian Studies

Graduate Student Fellow: Madison Mackenzie, Comparative Literature (shared with Environmental Humanities Research Center)

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Faculty Directors: Christofer Rodelo, Chicano/Latino Studies; Valentina Montero Román, English

Graduate Student Fellow: Eliana De La Torre, English

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Rhetoric

Rhetoric Research Cluster Website

Faculty Director: Daniel M. Gross, English