Hamilton Center is home to world-class researchers and teachers in the humanities and social sciences. Sharing a commitment to academic excellence and the liberal arts tradition, our faculty and staff are dedicated to helping students lead flourishing lives in and out of the classroom.
Our Society of Fellows brings together students from across campus, united by a shared interest in exploring key themes of the Western intellectual tradition, such as freedom, the good life, justice, purpose, and meaning. Through weekly meetings, our Fellows engage in thoughtful discussions and debates on classic texts, modeling the principles of civil discourse. The Fellowship culminates in a trip to the UK, where these students participate in seminars at Oxford and Cambridge with leading faculty experts, enriching their intellectual and cultural horizons.
Alyssa Ali graduated from Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida, and is majoring in International Studies with a concentration in the Middle East and a minor in Disabilities in Society.
Rocco Barbusca graduated from Anderson Christian School in Anderson, South Carolina, and majors in International Studies and Political Science with a minor in Russian.
Jaliyah Brown graduated from H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, and majors in Finance.
Sally Brown graduated from Somerset Academy Charter High School in Miami, Florida, and majors in Political Science with a focus in International Affairs.
Anna Ducker graduated from Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns, Florida, and majors in Political Science.
Sebastian Gillespie graduated from Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida, and majors in Philosophy with a minor in German.
Summer Haura graduated from Tampa Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida. She is double majoring in Philosophy and Biochemistry with a certificate in Ethics and Society.
Kristina Kianovski graduated Staten Island Technical High School in Staten Island, New York, and majors in Criminology and Psychology.
John McKeehan graduated from Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Florida, and majors in Business Management.
Megan Meese graduated from Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida. She double majors in International Studies and Anthropology with minors in History, Spanish, and Nonprofit Organizational Leadership.
Maya Roush graduated from Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida, and majors in Political Science and Economics.
Olivia Scarpo graduated from Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa, Florida, and majors in Mechanical Engineering.
Ryan James Sheehan graduated from Suncoast Community Highschool’s IB Program in Riviera Beach, Florida. He is majoring in History with a minor in Classical Studies and a certificate in Legal History.
Ryan Stewart graduated from Palm Harbor University High School in Palm Harbor, Florida, and majors in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Business Administration.
Jake Walsh received his Associate of Arts from Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and majors in History.
Beiyu Wang graduated from Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Florida, and majors in Computer Science with a minor in Business Administration.
Christopher Wheeler graduated from Harmony High School in Saint Cloud, Florida, and majors in Chemical Engineering.
Adam is a first-year PhD student in Linguistics, with research interests in language documentation and philosophy of language. He graduated summa cum laude from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where he earned a B.S. in Linguistics and a B.A. in Classics.
Ángel is a PhD candidate in Economics at the University of Florida with research interests in international macroeconomics and economic expectations. He holds an MA in Economics from the University of Florida, an MS in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and graduated with honors with a BS in Economics from Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Ángel has professional experience as a PhD Summer Intern at the International Monetary Fund and previously held key positions at the Central Bank of Paraguay, focusing on external sector statistics and financial inclusion. He has received several academic awards, including the Lawrence Kenny Teaching Award and the Robert F. Lanzillotti Best Third Year Paper Award. Before becoming an instructor at the University of Florida, he was a Lecturer at the Universidad Católica “Nuestra Señora de la Asunción,” where he taught Intermediate Microeconomics and Intermediate Macroeconomics, and also taught Econometrics at the Universidad Nacional de Asunción, both in Paraguay.
Gabriella is a masters student at the University of Florida’s College of Education studying Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in Educational Technology. She was a member of the 2022-2023 Hamilton Center Society of Fellows. She plans to use her background in civic literacy, academic research, and student advocacy to create inclusive learning environments.
Zhen holds an M.A. in Political Theory from Fudan University and a degree in Comparative History from Central European University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Florida. His research focuses on the history of political thought in the early modern period and contemporary issues related to the environment and technology.
Ilia is an applied microeconomist with a focus on education, labor economics, econometric methods, and industrial organization. He applies his expertise to solve real-world economic problems in both consulting and research settings. Ilia’s professional interests encompass a range of topics, especially antitrust litigation and policy research. Ilia has collaborated on numerous interdisciplinary projects in various countries, which has allowed him to develop interpersonal skills valuable in team settings. Moreover, his knowledge of English, German, and Russian further enables him to communicate effectively in diverse settings. Ilia is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Florida. Prior to this, he completed an M.Sc. in Quantitative Economics at Yeshiva University in New York City and a B.A. in Finance at Lauder Business School in Vienna, Austria.
Thomas is a PhD student in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. Originally from Oregon, he currently resides in Gainesville, Florida. His current research involves multi-agent cooperation in stochastic environments with applications to defense, UAV jamming, mobile data collection, wireless communications, and search & rescue. Beyond his direct research, he holds varied interests in emerging defense technology, national defense policy, classical literature, and folk music. He deeply appreciates the subtleties of local custom and community and is married to his wife Jocelyn, with one daughter, Jael Murphy.
Taylor is a Doctoral Student and Instructor in the English Department at the University of Florida. His multidisciplinary research covers the intersections of literature and cinema through adaptation studies, considering new formations (that is, adaptations) of paradigms within literary studies and modernism. Outside of the Anglosphere, his primary interests are in Polish literature and cinema as well as Japanese New Media such as anime and manga. His survey courses introduce this gamut to students across academic boundaries, showing how artistic pursuits and philosophical thinking can be applied to any major and vocational path. Taylor is also the Book Reviews editor for the comics and intermedia journal ImageTexT and the founder and host of the Hamilton Center’s Virtue of Cinema student programming series.
Alexander Scala is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. He is passionate about biotechnology policy and began his academic journey conducting analytical chemistry research in the Xing Lab at the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. In this role, he supported multiple animal tumor prevention studies and gained valuable insights into cancer treatment development. His drug development research continued at Insmed, where he identified six drug candidates for preclinical development through degradation studies. His research focuses on examining the intersection of biotechnology and policy to drive innovation in the United States. He advocates for regulatory improvements that incentivize research, streamline drug development, and enhance public health outcomes. By studying emerging biotechnology policies abroad, he seeks to identify beneficial similarities while proposing policies that support American researchers rather than hinder their efforts.
