Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards

The MESA Dissertation Awards were established in 1982 to recognize exceptional achievement in research and writing for/of dissertations in Middle East studies. In 1984 the award was named for Malcolm H. Kerr to honor his significant contributions to Middle East studies. Awards are given in two categories: Social Sciences and Humanities.

The award winners appear below. The submission guidelines are available under “Related” below right.

Can Gümüş-İspir

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2025 Co-winner (Humanities)

Can Gümüş-İspir

Boğaziçi University, Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History

Sherena Razek

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2025 Co-Winner (Humanities)

Sherena Razek

Brown University, Department of Modern Culture and Media

Lillian C. McCabe

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2025 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Lillian C. McCabe

Yale University, Department of Religious Studies

Faiq Mari

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2025 Winner (Social Sciences)

Faiq Mari

ETH Zurich, Department of Architecture

Ferda Nur Demirci Eryat

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2025 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Ferda Nur Demirci Eryat

University of Toronto, Department of Anthropology

Olga Verlato

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Winner (Humanities)

Olga Verlato

New York University, Departments of History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Nihal Kayali

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Winner (Social Sciences)

Nihal Kayali

UCLA, Department of Sociology

Lama Elsharif

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Lama Elsharif

Purdue University, Department of History

Sarah Islam

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Sarah Islam

Princeton University, Department of Near Eastern Studies

Matthew DeMaio

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Matthew DeMaio

George Washington University, Department of Anthropology

Samin Rashidbeigi

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2024 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Samin Rashidbeigi

Princeton University, Department of Near Eastern Studies

Jamie Pelling

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2023 Winner (Humanities)

Jamie Pelling

Princeton University, Department of Near Eastern Studies

Hülya Delihüseyinoğlu

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2023 Winner (Social Sciences)

Hülya Delihüseyinoğlu

Bogazici University, Ataturk Institute for Modern Turkish History

Yahya Nurgat

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2023 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Yahya Nurgat

University of Cambridge, Faculty of History

Sada Payır

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2023 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Sada Payır

University of Oxford, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Sophie Frankford

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2023 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Sophie Frankford

University of Oxford, School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2022 Co-Winner (Social Sciences)

Xiaoyue Li

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Department of History

Tiffany Floyd

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2022 Co-Winner (Humanities)

Tiffany Floyd

Columbia University, Art History and Archaeology

Omar Sirri

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2022 Co-Winner (Social Sciences)

Omar Sirri

University of Toronto, Political Sciences

Cyril Uy II

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2022 Co-Winner (Humanities)

Cyril Uy II

Brown University, Religious Studies

Shuaib Ally

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2022 Honorable Mention (Humanities)

Shuaib Ally

University of Toronto, Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations

Gözde Güran

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2021 Winner (Social Sciences)

Gözde Güran

Princeton University, Department of Sociology

Ana Sekulić

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2021 Winner (Humanities)

Ana Sekulić

Princeton University, Department of History

Alex Boodrookas

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2021 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Alex Boodrookas

New York University, Departments of History and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Michelle D. Weitzel

Malcolm H. Kerr Dissertation Awards
2020 Honorable Mention (Social Sciences)

Michelle D. Weitzel

New School for Social Research, Department of Politics