Grisel d’Elena

Grisel d’Elena serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in Religious Studies at Florida International University while completing her Ph.D. in International Relations at FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs. She concurrently directs Panthers Care, FIU’s centralized student crisis intervention program within the Dean of Students Office, managing all student emergencies and support services across campus.

Academic Background:

• Ph.D. Candidate in International Relations, FIU School of International and Public Affairs (current)
• Master’s thesis: “The Gender Problem of Buddhist Nationalism in Myanmar: The 969 Movement and Theravada Nuns”

Research Focus: d’Elena investigates state-sponsored persecution of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority through fieldwork with U.N. officials, refugee coalitions, and ethnic minorities. Her ethnographic work includes direct interviews with U Ashin Wirathu (Time Magazine’s “Buddhist Terror”), analyzing Buddhist nationalist movements and gender dynamics in religious oppression.

Expertise Areas:

• Statelessness & Refugee Studies
• Geo-Politics of Southeast Asia
• Security Studies & International Organizations
• Religion-State Relations
• Religious Nationalism Analysis
• Women in Religion & Politics
• Feminist Theology & Ethics
• Student Life Skills Development

Her 15 publications (2016-2020) reveal interdisciplinary scholarship bridging religious violence, gender politics, and social commentary. Key works critically examine Rohingya victimization narratives and statelessness cycles, while 2016 commentaries address single parenting, Islamophobia, and media effects on humanitarian aid—demonstrating consistent engagement with Southeast Asian conflicts and identity politics across religious studies and political science.

d’Elena leads Panthers Care, FIU’s frontline crisis response system for students. No graduate advisees or major research grants are documented in available materials. Her applied work directly connects academic research on trauma and identity to real-time student support services.