2025 Scheidt Undergraduate Research Fellowship Awarded to Francesco Micaletti-Hinojal

The USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research has awarded Francesco Micaletti-Hinojal the inaugural Charles E. Scheidt Undergraduate Research Fellowship for Spring and Fall 2025.

The Charles E. Scheidt Undergraduate Research Fellowship enables an outstanding USC undergraduate student from any discipline to conduct research in residence at the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research for two semesters, focusing on unique research resources in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at USC, including the Holocaust and Genocide Studies book collection, the Special Collections at USC Libraries, and the Visual History Archive (VHA).

Francesco Micaletti-Hinojal is a junior majoring in Politics, Philosophy and Law. At the Center, he is conducting research into the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, examining what survivor testimonies and other sources reveal about how survivors perceived the involvement of international actors during the crisis. Specifically, he is exploring how survivors view the actions of the U.S. government, France, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), and various NGOs. Through this research, he aims to provide new insights into international humanitarian interventions and contribute to more effective global responses to future mass atrocities in the future. He will give a public lecture about his project in the Spring 2026 semester.

Francesco Micaletti-Hinojal credits his coursework and a variety of internships as contributing to a strong interest in the ethical and legal complexities involved in studying genocide and humanitarian interventions. In the summer of 2024, his internship at the Holy See Mission to the United Nations further expanded his knowledge of international diplomacy and peacekeeping. There, he worked on multilateral conflict resolution strategies, gaining firsthand experience navigating the ethical and legal challenges of humanitarian action.

Micaletti-Hinojal is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Lambda Delta and has earned a spot on the Dean’s List every semester of his undergraduate career. He is fluent in Spanish, French, English, and Italian, and currently learning Portuguese. He volunteers with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance where he raises awareness about voter rights in several countries. He is also authoring a thesis on the diplomatic relationship between Rwanda and the United States and developing an analytic framework on the impact of foreign policy on Rwanda’s post-genocide recovery and political stability. In the future, he plans to pursue a career in diplomacy, think-tank research, or academia.