Three distinguished scholars from the network
of the Consortium of Indonesia's Institutes for Advanced Research (IFAR)
recently participated in the Buffett Visiting Scholars program at
Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. As part
of the Buffett Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) Visiting
Scholars initiative, Dr.
Sirojuddin Arif, Dr. Asmin Fransiska, and Dr. Sarah Elyzabeth Gultom each
brought their diverse expertise to foster global academic collaboration
and deepen cross-cultural scholarly engagement.
Dr. Sirojuddin Arif
In residence from August 9 to September 27,
2024, Dr. Arif is the head of the Master’s Program in Political Science at the Indonesian International Islamic
University in
Jakarta. His extensive research encompasses education policy, food security,
gender equality, and the politics of religion. Hosted by Professor Jeffrey
Winters, Director of the Buffett Institute’s Equality Development and
Globalization Studies (EDGS) program, Dr. Arif focused on the politics of
technology learning and industrial upgrading in late-industrializing countries,
with a particular emphasis on Indonesia.
Dr. Asmin Fransiska
Serving as a Visiting Scholar from October 26
to November 27, 2024, Dr. Fransiska is the Dean of the Faculty of Law at
Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia in Jakarta. A renowned expert in human
rights law, drug policy reform, and international criminal law, she used her
time at Northwestern to explore institutional collaboration between Atma Jaya
and the Buffett Institute. Her efforts concentrated on developing a new Master’s
Program in Public Policy centered on human rights and social justice. Dr.
Fransiska also presented research on women, children, and drug-related crimes,
aligning closely with IFAR Consortium’s and the Buffett Institute’s mission to
address complex global challenges through interdisciplinary research.
Dr. Sarah Elyzabeth Gultom
Dr. Gultom joined the Buffett
Institute as a Visiting Scholar from March 1 to May 1, 2025. She is an Assistant
Professor of Business Innovation at Monash University in Indonesia
and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Monash University. Her research is in
development economics, focusing on poverty alleviation, inequality, and social
policy in Indonesia. At Northwestern, Dr. Gultom developed the research design
of an empirical study on the effects of market information asymmetry and peer
networks in the operations of intermediaries in Indonesia’s agricultural
sector. Her work seeks to inform policies to reduce the adverse impact of
intermediary activities on poverty among smallholder farmers. During her visit,
she had the opportunity to discuss, present, and refine her research project
with faculty members from various departments, such as the Global Poverty
Research Lab and the Department of Economics. She attended the Association for
Asian Studies Conference and served as a session chair at the Midwest
International Economic Development Conference.
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The participation of these IFAR Research Affiliates
in the Buffett Visiting Scholars program underscores the importance of
international academic exchange. Their contributions have enriched the IFAR
Consortium and international partners’ community and strengthened the ties
between Indonesian and the global academic landscape—paving the way for
deeper collaboration on the world’s most urgent challenges.
