Celebrating New Leadership at EDGS: Laura Hein and Anto Mohsin
The Equality Development and Globalization Studies (EDGS) program is celebrating two appointments that promise to shape its future at Northwestern and beyond. Laura Hein, the Harold H. and Virginia Anderson Professor of History at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and Anto Mohsin, Assistant Professor in Residence in the Liberal Arts Program at Northwestern in Qatar, have joined EDGS Director Jeffrey Winters to broaden and deepen relationships with academic institutions in Southeast and East Asia.
Laura Hein: Director of the Arryman Scholars Program
Dr. Hein assumed the role of Director of the Arryman Scholars Program on June 1, 2024. The Arryman Scholars Program launched in 2012 and aims to make a major contribution to higher education in Indonesia by training young Indonesian scholars in the social sciences at Northwestern University.
A second phase of the Arryman initiative to train Indonesians in development economics and public policy has been established at the University of London SOAS, where Dr. Hein was the Centenary Fellow in honor of the school’s 100th anniversary in 2015-2016. “It is really valuable that Laura brings these wide professional relationships to this role,” Winters noted.
Hein’s scholarly journey spans Japan, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia—a rich tapestry of regions that intersect in profound ways. As the former chair of the History Department, Hein brings administrative acumen to her new position and her commitment to fostering intellectual growth will undoubtedly invigorate the Arryman Scholars community. “I have worked with all of the Arryman scholars in the History Department,” said Dr. Hein. “I am very much looking forward to getting to know the other scholars and learning about their exciting work.”
Anto Mohsin: Associate Director for International Programs
Dr. Mohsin stepped into the role of Associate Director for International Programs on May 1, 2024. Mohsin has served as a Buffett Faculty Fellow as well as a member of the Buffett Faculty Advisory Committee and is well known to all in the EDGS community as an academic advisor. Dr. Mohsin's scholarship centers on Indonesia and Southeast Asia, where he has delved into the intricate relationships among technology, social justice and national development.
His recently published book, Electrifying Indonesia: Technology and Social Justice in National Development, sheds light on the transformative power of technology in shaping societies and promoting social justice. His appointment will strengthen EDGS’s ties with Northwestern University in Qatar, fostering new connections that can forge wider international linkages in Asia.
A Shared Vision
These two appointments set the stage for an expansion of the EDGS program’s involvement in the academic networks of Southeast and East Asia. In their respective roles, both leaders will leverage existing disciplinary expertise and international relationships to grow the EDGS community within Northwestern and beyond. Hein will steer the Arryman Scholars program at Northwestern and support its scholars as they finalize their dissertations and enter their postdoctoral careers abroad. Meanwhile, Mohsin will expand EDGS's international linkages, including collaborations with the Institutes for Advanced Research (IFAR) Consortium in Indonesia. Together, Hein and Mohsin embody the spirit of interdisciplinary inquiry and global citizenship that defines the EDGS program at the Buffett Institute.
“The whole EDGS and Arryman community, both in Evanston and in Asia, is thrilled that two such experienced leaders will be joining EDGS,” Winters said.