Ela Gezen and David Mednicoff Named Directors of the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute
New leaders will expand the institute’s interdisciplinary programming and reach across campus and beyond.
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Professors Ela Gezen and David Mednicoff have been appointed directors of the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute (ISI).
For 25 years, the Interdisciplinary Studies Institute has served as an essential venue for open interdisciplinary exchange and intellectual enrichment grounded in social, cultural, and political responsibility. At the core of the institute’s work is the ISI Seminar, which is organized around a specific theme and engages faculty, students, and the wider community. ISI’s new leaders bring wide-ranging academic and administrative experience to their work sustaining the institute’s relevance and broadening its reach across UMass Amherst and neighboring communities.
As part of their vision for ISI’s work on campus, Gezen and Mednicoff are planning a range of activities for the 2026–27 academic year. A Sept. 30 reception will celebrate ISI’s 25 years of accomplishments and programs and honor its founding director, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Stephen Clingman. The fall semester will also feature a campuswide roundtable on interdisciplinary research and teaching, a student research showcase, and two faculty workshops on timely, wide-ranging topics. In spring 2027, ISI will resume its semester-long seminar, along with related activities, centered on the broad theme of “Migrations.”
Gezen is a professor of German in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Guided by comparative analysis, interdisciplinary approaches, and transnational inquiry, her work focuses on the cultural impact of migration and its implications for and interventions in German society, history, memory, and culture. She has also led initiatives in outreach and community engagement, language and humanities advocacy, and mentoring at UMass Amherst and beyond.
Mednicoff is a professor of Middle Eastern studies and public policy, with appointments in the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies and the School of Public Policy. Trained as a lawyer and political scientist, he holds a JD and PhD. His work examines the meanings and policy implications of legal and political ideas and institutions across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as related issues in international law, U.S. foreign policy, religious ideology, and refugee politics. A frequent media commentator, he served as chair of the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies from 2018 to 2025.