STATESBORO, Ga. () – A professor at Georgia Southern University has been honored with a lifetime achievement award for her research in global affairs.

Nalanda Roy, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Studies at Georgia Southern University, was recently honored with the Noam Chomsky Global Connections Shining Star Research Award for her research in global affairs, international relations and South and Southeast Asian maritime security. 

“The awarding group recognizes promising faculty who are global leaders doing cutting-edge interdisciplinary work,” Roy explained. 

Roy has more than 20 years of experience in international relations and has used her expertise and knowledge on conflicts in the South China Sea and Indonesian fragmentation to publish several books. 

Roy has served as the program chair for the International Studies Association’s South Asia in World Politics sector, as well as the senior editor for the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies, among other honors. 

Roy says this award belongs to more than just her. 

“It’s not just me,” she explained. “My parents, my husband, my daughter, everybody…there have been countless sleepless nights working. So that’s what helped me become who I am today. I love this quote by Malcolm Gladwell, ‘Who you are cannot be separated from where you have been.’ So I can never forget my roots, I can never forget where I come from and who has helped me get where I am today.” 

Noam Chomsky is a world-renowned professor, considered by many to be a leading intellectual on subjects like political activism. Researchers receiving this award must demonstrate at least 15 years of impactful educational leadership, a strong record of contribution to global research and a scholarly legacy promoting human well-being.