ASSYRIAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH GRANT RECIPIENTS
2026 Winner
Dr. Anzhela Mnatsakanyan
The Board of Directors of the Assyrian Studies Association is pleased to announce that the Assyrian Academic Research Grant winner of $2,000 has been awarded to Dr. Anzhela Mnatsakanyan, an Armenian-Assyrian political scientist, researcher, and Ambassador of the Assyrian Seyfo Center in Armenia. She holds a PhD in Political Science from Yerevan State University and an Advanced MA in European Interdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe in Poland, as well as MA and BA degrees in International Relations from Yerevan State University. She collaborates with international think tanks, academic institutions, and humanitarian organizations, bridging academic research with policy and practice. Her research, The Assyrians of Armenia: A Homeland Away from Home – From History to Everyday Life, will examine the historical and contemporary relationship between Assyrian and Armenian communities in Armenia, addressing a gap in scholarship on the Assyrian diaspora.
2022 Winner
Esther Elia
The Board of Directors of the Assyrian Studies Association is pleased to announce that the Assyrian Academic Research Grant winner of $1,000 has been awarded to Esther Elia. Esther was born and raised in Turlock, California and she is currently getting a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of New Mexico. Funds from the grant will be used to create a thesis exhibition of handmade clay bowls, gathering "contemporary prayers" from the Assyrian community, writing them on the bowls, and exhibiting them alongside voice recordings of these submissions to create a visual and sonic installation of today's Assyrian community.
2020 Winner
Sanherib Ninos
The Board of Directors of the Assyrian Studies Association is pleased to announce that the Assyrian Academic Research Grant winner of $2,000 has been awarded to Sanherib Ninos from Frankfurt, Germany to fund the continuation of his Ph.D. dissertation research. His topic includes research on the Assyrian crisis of identity and discourse of nationalism among the members of the Syriac-Orthodox Church in Germany.