Innovative Research in International Education Award

Listed below are the past recipients of the Innovative Research in International Education Award.

• 2026: Dong Chen
• 2025: Janelle Peifer, PhD
• 2024: Miri Yemini, PhD
• 2023: Melissa Whatley, PhD
• 2022: Christina W. Yao, PhD
• 2021: Tang T. Heng, EdD
• 2020: Ming Cheng, PhD
• 2019: Julie Ficarra, PhD
• 2018: Chrystal George Mwangi, PhD
• 2017: Polina Vinogradova, PhD
• 2016: Chris Glass, PhD
• 2014: Sonia Massari, PhD
• 2012: Bruce La Brack, PhD
• 2010: Josef A. Mestenhauser, PhD

2025 award recipient: Janelle Peifer, PhD
January/February 2026 Trends & Insights "Reimagining Global Learning: The Power of Campus-Based Experiences"

In November 2025, Peifer was featured in a panel discussion about her research on intercultural competence and global learning and TLS KC team leaders facilitated group discussions on research trends and opportunities in the field.

Watch the recording

2024 award recipient: Miri Yemini, PhD
November/December 2024 Trends & Insights "Bridging Borders: Toward Equity in International Research Collaborations"

In November 2024, Yemini presented her research on global citizenship education and international research collaborations and TLS KC team leaders discussed research trends and opportunities in the field.

Watch the recording

2023 award recipient: Melissa Whatley, PhD
November 2023 Trends & Insights "Using Data for Diversity-Focused Change at Community Colleges"

In November 2023, Whatley presented her research focused on equitable access to international education opportunities for students at community colleges and the TLS KC team led a group discussion about innovation and impact of research in the field.
Watch the recording

2022 award recipient: Christina W. Yao, PhD
November 2022 Trends & Insights "Humanizing Our Work With Globally Mobile Students"

In December 2022, Yao presented her research focusing on globally mobile students at a virtual event hosted by the TLS KC, with a group discussion on the impact of research in the field.
Watch the recording

2021 award recipient: Tang T. Heng, EdD
November 2021 Trends & Insights "Toward Greater Reflexivity in Engagement and Research with International Students"

In January 2022, Heng presented her research about understanding and engaging Chinese international students at a virtual event hosted by the TLS KC. 
Watch the recording

2020 award recipient: Ming Cheng, PhD
February 2021 Trends & Insights "Shifting Trends in International Student Mobility: Embracing Diversity and Responding to Change"

2019 award recipient: Julie Ficarra, PhD
January 2020 Trends & Insights "Learning from Critique: How Critical Education Abroad Should Alter the Agenda"

2018 award recipient: Chrystal A. George Mwangi, PhD
January 2019 Trends & Insights "Improving Diversity and Inclusion in International Education Research: Holding Academic Journals Accountable"

Note: Access to the Trends & Insights archives is available as a NAFSA member benefit.

Applicability of Research
The award candidate's research is applicable to the field of international education and relates to one or more of the NAFSA knowledge domains (i.e., comprehensive internationalization; education abroad; global learning; international communication and training; international education leadership; international enrollment management; international student and scholar services; internationalization at home; teaching, learning, and scholarship; or other).

Impact of Research
The award candidate's research has a demonstrated or potential impact for the field of international education, whether theoretical or practical. Impacts may be at the micro-, meso-, or macro-level and can include a policy or programmatic change, implications for institutional strategies, revelation of a pedagogic tool or methodology, increased awareness of an issue, implications for additional research by other contributors, or a change in thinking among international education professionals.

Innovation of Research
The award candidate's research should address the innovative nature of the research presented in the chosen publication and how it offers a fresh perspective, new direction, or improvement on existing knowledge and/or theories in the field of international education.

Practicality of Research
The award candidate's research should either directly inform applied practice in the field or contribute to international education scholarship that is useful to practitioners.

Please see more detailed information below under “How to Submit.”

1. Award candidates may represent all backgrounds and academic fields and include graduate students, post-docs, junior faculty, emerging scholars, senior faculty, established scholars, researchers, and scholar-practitioners at all levels. NAFSA membership is not required for this award.
2. Submissions may be completed through either:
   • application/self-nomination from the award candidate with an additional recommendation from an adviser, colleague, peer reviewer, or other individual familiar with the candidate's research; or
   • nomination by a peer, colleague, adviser, or other individual familiar with an award candidate's research
3. Eligible award submissions include:
   • Research disseminated as an individual peer-reviewed scholarly publication in the format of either a journal article or a chapter in an edited volume (i.e., a book chapter). Peer review includes an evaluative process of a research publication completed by a group of experts in the appropriate discipline in order to measure the quality of scholarship under consideration. Co-authored publications will be considered and should feature the award candidate as either the first or second author.
   • Research publications must have been published within the last three years or accepted as a forthcoming publication during the current award cycle. *For the 2025 award, publications must have been released between January 1, 2022 and February 1, 2025 or accepted by the publisher and awaiting release in 2025 (i.e., currently in press).*
   • The award candidate's research should be relevant to the field of international education and either be directly applicable to practice or contribute to developing scholarship that is useful for international education practitioners. The research can utilize either a theoretical or empirical approach.
   • Complete submissions, including a PDF upload of the research publication (either original or translation) and a letter of recommendation, should be submitted in English.
4. The following are not eligible for consideration:
   • Individuals who received this award within the previous three years.
   • Members of the selection committee.
   • Research sponsored by institutions and organizations.
   • Unpublished theses and dissertations.

Submissions may be completed as either: an application/self-nomination from the award candidate with an additional recommendation from an adviser, colleague, peer reviewer, or other individual familiar with the candidate's research; or a nomination by a peer, colleague, adviser, or other individual familiar with an award candidate's research.

Note: We recommend having your materials and responses prepared in advance of submission. (Please adhere to stated word limits for short answer responses, where applicable.) The online form does not have saving capabilities and cannot be modified once submitted. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.

In order to be considered, the following materials must be submitted (in English) via the online form by the deadline:

1. Contact information:
   • Candidate: name, email, current position/title, current institution/organization
   • Nominator/Recommender*: name, email, current position/title, current institution/organization, relationship to award candidate
2. Research publication overview: title, publisher, year of publication, publication format, summary (250 words max), and full citation including either DOI or ISSN identifier
3. PDF copy of candidate's research publication (e.g., journal article, book chapter, etc)
4. Award rationale: responses should reflect how the award candidate's research is applicable, innovative, has either a demonstrated or potential impact for the field of international education, and is either directly applicable to practice or contributes to international education scholarship that is useful to practitioners. Each response should be 2-3 sentences and a maximum of 200 words in length.
5. Recommendation Letter: see the relevant section below for more detail.
   • In the case of applications/self-nominations, the award candidate should share the link to either this webpage or the submission form with an adviser, colleague, peer reviewer, or other individual familiar with the award candidate's research in order for that individual to provide a recommendation on their behalf.

*Note: While nominations must include all the information above, individuals asked to submit a recommendation in behalf of an award candidate will only need to provide information about themselves and a Recommendation.

Award Rationale

Responses to the online form should be provided as to how the award candidate's research meets the stated criteria above. Each response should consist of 2-3 sentences, with a maximum of 200 words, and focus on addressing individual criteria.

Recommendation

The Recommendation should briefly address the award criteria above (e.g., applicability, impact, innovation, practicality) and provide information as to why the Award Selection Committee should choose this candidate and their research.

In the case of applications/self-nominations, the award candidate should share the link to either this webpage or the online submission form with an adviser, colleague, peer reviewer, or other individual familiar with the award candidate's research in order for that individual to provide a recommendation on their behalf. Award candidates cannot submit this information in another's stead.

Award recipient benefits include:

• An Award Certificate.
• The recipient will be announced by the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community (TLS KC) leadership in conjunction with the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo.
• Formal acknowledgement via an announcement to the NAFSA community of over 10,000 members and international educators worldwide at more than 3,500 institutions, in over 150 countries.
• An invitation to write a Trends & Insights piece to be considered for publication.
• Encouragement to publicly promote the recipient's research through appropriate venues (e.g., a TLS KC blog post; a seeded discussion on a TLS KC network; contribution to the International Educator magazine or podcast; a session, workshop, or poster proposal for the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo; or a research-focused event).
• An invitation to serve on the following year's TLS Award Selection Committee.