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Research Innovation Collaboratives

Arts & Letters Research Innovation Collaboratives, sponsored by the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good.

In order to provide leadership in advancing thoughtful answers to the world’s urgent questions, the Franco Institute and the College of Arts & Letters have established Research Innovation Collaboratives. 

These "labs" encourage collaborative research outside of departmental and institutional confines so that participants can radically reimagine the way their work can inform, influence, and inspire innovative scholarship. Each Research Innovation Collaborative consists of a group of scholars pursuing a core question (or small set of closely related questions) from transdisciplinary perspectives. The Research Innovation Collaboratives foster research, teaching, and outreach, deepening connections across disciplines, and bringing the insights of the liberal arts to public life.

Research Innovation Collaboratives

  1. Densely packed stacks of old, sepia-toned paper documents, with a single dark red folder on the left.

    From Medieval Roots to Global Networks: Catholic Sisters and the Archive

    Katie Bugyis, Program of Liberal Studies & Claire Jones, Department of German, Slavic, and Eurasian Studies
    Global Catholic Research Collaborative (co-sponsored by the ND Global Catholic Research Initiative)

  2. St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, with its grand stone facade, blue dome, and a large ornate lamppost in the foreground.

    International Working Group: “Vatican II: Renewal within Tradition”

    Therese Cory, Department of Philosophy & Paulinus Odozor, CSSp, Department of Theology
    Global Catholic Research Collaborative (co-sponsored by the ND Global Catholic Research Initiative)

  3. Aerial view of many lush green, rocky islands scattered across a deep blue ocean with clear turquoise shallows.

    Archipelagos of Race

    Thomas Anderson, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures & Dionne Bremyer, Department of English
    Arts Collaborative (co-sponsored by the Arts Initiative)

  4. People in straw hats and traditional white ruffled tops, including a blue-shirted drummer, at an outdoor festival.

    Central American Racial Formations

    Tatiana Reinoza, Department of Art, Art History, and Design & Karen Graubart, Department of History
    Arts Collaborative (co-sponsored by the ND Arts Initiative)

  5. Person in a hat walks across a severely cracked, dry earth landscape, carrying yellow and dark buckets.

    Asia and the Anthropocene: Bringing Human Histories and Earth History Together

    Julia Thomas, Department of History & Benjamin Goossen, Department of International History, Boston University
    Sustainability Collaborative (co-sponsored by the ND Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative)

  6. A damselfly with delicate wings perches on a light-colored trumpet-shaped flower against a dark background.

    Symphonic Wings Part II: Sustaining Our Common Home through Faith, Science and Art

    Cynthia Katsarelis, Department of Sacred Music & Paul Kollman, CSC, Department of Theology
    Humanities Collaborative

  7. Eight vintage black and white photographs of European street scenes with people, some with animals or vehicles, displayed on wires.

    Contested History in Public Spaces: Toward a Global Memory Culture

    William Donahue, Department of German, Slavic and Eurasian Studies & Jens Martin, Department of Economics and Business, University of Amsterdam
    Humanities Collaborative

  8. Close-up of a person's hand gently placed on a sleeping baby's chest, with another person kissing the baby's shoulder. The baby and adults have similar skin tones. A tan blanket is partially visible.

    Motherhood and Migration Stories

    Vanesa Miseres, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures & Vania Smith-Oka, Department of Anthropology
    Humanities Lab

  9. Close-up of a swirling sheet of translucent paper printed with German words in black ink.

    Dynamic Translations

    Clíona Ní Ríordáin, Thomas J. and Kathleen M. O’Donnell Chair in Irish Language and Literature & Johannes Göransson, Department of English
    Humanities Lab

  10. A group of people sit in a circle on wooden chairs, engaged in a discussion. A woman wearing a tan sweater gestures while speaking to another woman in a patterned brown dress.

    Social Dynamics of Health

    Molly Copeland, Department of Sociology & Ryan Carpenter, Department of Psychology
    Strategic Theme Lab

  11. Person wearing glasses intently examines a computer screen displaying glowing blue vertical lines of code with small red accents.

    Modeling Democracy with AI

    Michael Coppedge, Department of Political Science & John Behrens, Technology and Digital Studies Program
    Strategic Theme Lab

  12. Hand and forearm covered in glowing neon paint in orange, blue, green, and red against a black background. The hand is reaching forward with fingers spread.

    Critical Approaches to Art and Technology

    Cecilia Kim, Department of Film, Television, and Theatre & David Bird, Department of Music
    Strategic Theme Lab

  13. Two concrete guard towers and layers of chain link fencing topped with razor wire at a prison.

    Carceral Studies

    Pam Butler, Gender Studies Program & Anna Haskins, Department of Sociology
    Humanities Lab

  14. A young man wearing a blue Notre Dame sweatshirt and headphones paints a mural on a green wall under a bridge. Several paint cans and brushes sit on a table beside him.Foundry Field Humanities Research Collaborative image

    Foundry Field

    Katherine Walden, Department of American Studies & Clinton Carlson, Department of Art, Art History, and Design
    Humanities Lab

  15. Two people discuss articles displayed on a large monitor featuring headlines about the impact of AI on internet searches. The person gesturing toward the screen wears a dark shirt. The other, wearing a blue sweater, listens attentively. Articles from MIT Technology Review, Nature, and The Atlantic are visible.

    Generative AI for the Humanities

    Tom Stapleford, Liberal Studies Program & Patrick Gamez, Center for Science, Technology and Values
    Strategic Theme Lab

  16. Two people sit at a white table with laptops, smiling at each other. The woman on the left wears a multicolored top. The man on the right, wearing an orange shirt, types on his laptop. African Governance Research Innovation Collaborative image.

    African Governance

    Jaimie Bleck, Department of Political Science & Bernard Forjwuor, Department of Africana Studies
    Strategic Theme Lab

  17. A smiling woman in a grey suit shakes hands with another woman in a white shirt. A diverse group of smiling people, many holding small American flags, are visible in the background.

    Representation of Women

    Christina Wolbrecht, Department of Political Science & Lakshmi Iyer, Department of Economics and Global Affairs
    Strategic Theme Lab