Penn Global Renews Two Penn Global Research Institutes for Additional Three-Year Funding Cycles
Penn Global today announced the renewal of two Penn Global Research Institutes—the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance (GERA) and the Penn Global Documentary Institute (PGDI)—for new three-year funding cycles. The renewed support reinforces Penn Global’s commitment to offering transformative global research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, expanding community-engaged scholarship, and advancing solutions to major global challenges.
GERA Renewal and Forthcoming Name Change
Launched as a Penn Global Research Institute in 2022, the Galápagos Education and Research Alliance (GERA) has been renewed for an additional three years. Beginning in 2026, GERA will adopt a new name—the Global Education and Research Alliance—to reflect the evolution of its work from an initiative rooted in the Galápagos to one that now partners with communities worldwide on climate adaptation and resilience.
GERA, led by Director Michael Weisberg, began as a collaboration between Galapagueños and students and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and Rutgers University. Its early work centered on addressing urgent issues in the Galápagos, including science, education, and conservation efforts, with deep partnerships in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristóbal Island. As the institute expands its global footprint, it remains committed to community-led research and the co-creation of meaningful, sustainable climate solutions.
PGDI Renewal
The Penn Global Documentary Institute (PGDI), established in 2023, has also been renewed for a second three-year term. Led by Director Peter Decherney and Associate Director Sara Byala, PGDI launched with a summer fieldwork experience at the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya in partnership with FilmAid Kenya. It has since led research trips to Uganda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, supporting the ongoing Jewish Communities of Africa project and expanding opportunities for students to engage in documentary research and storytelling across multiple regions.
PGDI collaborates with global communities to document human migration using film, photography, virtual reality, and other media. Ongoing projects examine the impact of politics, religion, and climate change on displaced and other at-risk communities. PGDI foregrounds the role of student contributions to research and multimodal scholarship. As a result, PGDI’s award-winning films, books, and other work have been featured in international festivals and exhibits and have been distributed by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Discovery+, and other streaming platforms.
Expanding Student Access Through Penn Global Seminars
Across both institutes, approximately 5–12 students participate annually, and all fieldwork-related costs are fully funded by Penn Global Research Institutes (PGRI) resources. Both GERA and PGDI connect directly to Penn Global Seminars (PGS) courses, significantly widening student access to the research themes and global locations at the heart of each institute’s work.
The renewed funding cycles aim to further increase undergraduate and graduate participation and strengthen mentorship, training, and publication opportunities for emerging researchers.
About the Penn Global Research Institutes
Penn Global Research Institutes provide high-impact, interdisciplinary research experiences abroad. Students work in small teams that include Penn faculty principal investigators, affiliated international researchers, and local community partners. Through these collaborations, students gain hands-on fieldwork experience and mentorship while contributing to research that addresses complex global challenges.