Emerging Scholar Awards
The program recognizes both In-Person Emerging Scholars and Online-Only Emerging Scholars, ensuring that researchers unable to travel can still hold a visible and valued role in the conference. Across all formats, Emerging Scholars participate fully in the life of the event: they chair parallel sessions, help guide and sustain discussion, and serve as bridges between established and early-career colleagues from different regions, institutions, and disciplines.
As part of CGScholar’s Event (KX) environment, Emerging Scholars contribute to a wider knowledge experience that links conference activity, community engagement, and publication. Their work is shared through Presentation Pages, digital media, and discussion spaces; they receive structured support to develop their research through the Network’s journals and book imprint; and they gain sustained visibility within the worldwide scholarly community formed around the Research Network.
The Award includes complimentary conference registration and Research Network membership, along with formal recognition during the conference proceedings. Emerging Scholars enter a supportive, scholar-led community in which they can build connections across disciplines, regions, and generations of researchers. Professional development, mentoring encounters, and opportunities for collaboration are integrated into the conference and the Network’s year-round activities.
Award recipients are expected to: attend an orientation and training session (typically the day before the conference), and participate fully throughout the conference by fulfilling assigned chairing and discussion-leading responsibilities.
The Emerging Scholar Award is open to researchers currently enrolled in a graduate studies program or identifying as early-career scholars in a field relevant to the conference. Applicants should demonstrate strong potential for scholarly contribution and a commitment to participating in the collaborative ethos of the Network.
For each conference, a small number of Emerging Scholar Awards are given to outstanding graduate students and emerging scholars who have an active research interest in the conference themes. Emerging Scholars perform a critical role in the conference by chairing the parallel sessions, providing technical assistance in the sessions, and presenting their own research papers. The 2026 Emerging Scholar Award Recipients are as follows:
Hiroshima University, Japan
Gene Paolo A. Garcia is an Indigenous Ibaloi-Kankanaey graduate student and social entrepreneur from Benguet, Philippines. He is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy at Hiroshima University, specializing in Cultural Anthropology. His research explores specialty coffee in the Philippines, examining how Indigenous knowledge, ecological relations, and global markets shape value and meaning.
He has worked across food systems, climate justice, and Indigenous rights in the development sector, contributing to initiatives with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). He is also the founder of Alluyon Coffee, a social enterprise working with farmers in Benguet to support sustainable agriculture and local livelihoods.
University of Toronto, Canada
Zoe Nicoladis is a second-year master’s student in Human Geography at the University of Toronto. With a background in psychology and economics from the University of British Columbia, her research explores what food systems reveal about urban inequality, social connection, and cultural change. She is particularly interested in how access to food shapes community life in rapidly changing cities.
The Foodscapes Collective, Germany
Morgane is a part-time writer at The Foodscapes Collective, exploring stories that shape our global food system. She recently completed a PhD in Environmental Sciences at the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands where her research focused on the role of transformative social learning in fostering resilient agricultural transformations among small-scale farmers. She holds a BA in Cultural Studies from the University of Kent and an MA in Food Politics from the European School of Political and Social Sciences. While her research focuses specifically on transformations towards sustainable agriculture, she is equally passionate about all things food-related, especially exploring the world through diverse cuisines. Currently, Morgane is serving as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer in Nepal as an Agricultural Field Research Specialist.
Leiden University, Japan
Chelsey Wong is currently doing PhD research at Leiden University. Her project focuses on the consumption and marketing of beef in Japan. Apart from her research topics, she is also interested in ethics, axiology, and the general history of meat. Her recent publications: “Perspectives on Deer in Contemporary Japan” in Japan Studies Association Journal and “Eating to Survive: The Overlooked Reason for Beef Consumption in Japan, 1874-1912” in Global Food History
Geological Society of London, United Kingdom
With full support from the Chevening Scholarship (2021), Hermione sparked her interest in food systems and climate while completing an LLM in Business Law and Sustainable Development (with dissertation) at the University of Aberdeen. She began her academic journey with a Bachelor’s in Geography and Marine Science from the Australian National University, where provides an interdisciplinary grounding and a curiosity about how people and the environment interact.
Beyond her studies, Hermione developed robust, substantive experience at a museum focused on climate action and sustainability. She currently serves as a university Research Hub Manager in Hong Kong, addressing issues related to population and sustainability. She is committed to leading projects and initiatives that create healthy, sustainable, and resilient communities.
University of Genoa, Italy
Martina Arcadu is a psychologist, trainee psychotherapist and doctoral candidate in Social Sciences at the University of Genova, Department of Educational Science (DISFOR), and a doctoral candidate in Psychology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaiso, School of Psychology (PUCV).
Her research interests lie in the field of social and community psychology, with a particular focus on migration studies, identity processes, food studies, gender and social conflicts.
Her dissertation project examines the role of food in identity formation processes among migrants. She is conducting fieldwork among Italian women migrants in Chile, migrant families of various provenance in Italy, and migrant women involved in a food-centered community project in Modena, Italy.
University of Bologna, Italy
Aoi Nakakoji is a 3rd year PhD student at the University of Bologna, specializing in Digital Food Studies. Her research focuses on culinary heritage in the digital age, with particular attention to home cooking dynamics in Bologna, Italy. Her methodology combines fieldwork interviews with more than 40 Bolognese families and digital ethnography on social media.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the University of Tokyo and a Master's degree in History and Culture from the University of Bologna, awarded with highest honors.
Drawing on anthropology, sociology, digital media studies, and gender studies, she brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to her work.
University of Groningen / University of Coimbra, Portugal
Kerem Delialioğlu is an Erasmus Mundus Scholar in the Religious Diversity in a Globalised World Joint Master's Programme at the University of Groningen and the University of Coimbra. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations with a Minor in History from Bilkent University. He is General Editor of Epitaph, a biannual undergraduate research journal, and Faculty Ambassador for CRASIS, an interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Groningen. He has presented at the 4th International City, Environment and Health Congress and the Bilkent History Graduate Symposium. His conference paper, "Worlds of Rice and Fish: Disruption of the Levantine Culinary World in the Late Byzantine Period," examines dietary transformation at the close of the Byzantine era.
Participating in the conference as an Emerging Scholar was truly a memorable and enriching experience. The encouragement and support I received from both senior scholars and peers were incredibly inspiring.”
What I really enjoyed about participating in the conference as an emerging scholar was attending panel sessions that were not necessarily in my primary area of expertise or interest. Some of the presentations in the panels I moderated were in fact quite relevant to my surprise, and even the ones that weren’t were still super interesting and thought provoking, despite their disciplinary distance from my own research. I feel like I could truly appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of the conference in full because I was assigned to moderate panels that I probably wouldn’t have chosen to attend otherwise. The opportunity to network with other emerging scholars was also quite delightful, as the shared responsibility and experience bonded us better. I really enjoyed serving the conference as an emerging scholar and would love to return to future conferences."
It was an incredible experience to connect with scholars and professionals from various fields related to food studies. In addition, the conference gave me an excellent platform to showcase my research, receive invaluable feedback, and expand my network. As an Emerging Scholar, I could participate in interactive sessions and attend thought-provoking presentations that helped me gain new insights into the broader field of food studies. In addition, the Emerging Scholars program provided an excellent opportunity to engage with seasoned researchers and professionals in the field, exposing me to various publishing opportunities to showcase my research. Without hesitation, this experience has positively impacted my research and academic career, and I sincerely thank the Food Studies Research Network for allowing me this opportunity. I look forward to attending future conferences and supporting and encouraging other emerging scholars working in food studies."
Throughout my Food Studies scholarship period I have been given support and opportunities to learn, interact and enhance focused aspects of my research. Also, by sharing the academic environment with peers I have had the chance to exchange knowledge and sharpen skills. It has been a great pleasure to be part of it."