International Visiting Scholars' Program

The International Visiting Scholars' Program is a non-degree program and provides an opportunity for mid-career reporters from abroad to pursue advanced professional training and academic study. Visiting scholars select an array of courses offered at the journalism school and in other disciplines, drawing upon the extensive resources and community life of a major research university. Participants work in close cooperation with a faculty mentor to design an individualized program that enhances reporting skills, expands intellectual horizons and allows for in-depth research in their area of interest.

Applying to the program (The 2009-2010 deadline is March 1, 2009.)

Photos from Visiting Scholars

Current Visiting Scholars

David Castello-Lopes, 26, is a half-French, half-Portuguese Paris-based journalist.

Since 2006, Castello-Lopes has contributed as an intern to Le Monde, one of France's most popular daily newspapers, Radio France Internationale and Arte, a Franco-German public television channel. He worked as a field reporter, newscaster and jazz show host for TSF and Nova radios in Paris before joining the French Press Institute for a master's degree. In 2008, while studying at the IFP, he spent five months in Bogota, Colombia reporting on the country's armed conflict. He also holds a master's degree in Contemporary History and a bachelor's degree in History of Art from the Sorbonne University.

Iranian journalist Ali Reza Eshraghi, 30, holds a Ph.D. in Political Thought from Tehran. During his decade-long career in journalism, he has worked in senior editorial positions at some of Iran's most prestigious newspapers, including, Hayat-e-No, Hamshahri and Shargh. He has received the Golden Pen Award at Iran's National Press Festival twice (2002 and 2007).

In 2003, he was prosecuted for insulting Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic Revolution, through publishing an inappropriate cartoon in Hayat-e-No newspaper. He was kept in solitary confinement for two months and later released.
In 2005, Eshraghi established Medad (Pen) Company, a media consultant initiative. Since 2006, he has been deputy editor-in-chief at Asia Economic newspaper in Tehran.

Tuomas Forsell, 32, is a Helsinki-based television news reporter for Finland's MTV3-News. He works as part of the channel's morning news team, a reporter for prime time broadcasts, and occasionally anchors the news.

Forsell has also worked for several Finnish newspapers and for UN Radio at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. He holds a master's degree in Political Science and International Relations from his hometown's University of Turku.

At Berkeley, he is excited to follow the 2008 presidential election and learn about American political and investigative reporting.

Mridu Khullar, 26, is a freelance journalist from New Delhi, India. She has lived in India, Ghana and England, and frequently talks about the problems of minority communities and projects that are undertaken to solve them.

Khullar has worked with Time, Parade, Ms., Marie Claire, Elle, Women's eNews, The Women's International Perspective, Self, and East West magazine. She also contributes to US Airways, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Spirituality & Health, Asian Woman and Writer's Digest.

At Berkeley this year, she'll focus on investigative journalism and international human rights.

Moch N. Kurniawan, 32, from Indonesia, describes himself as a "journalist, researcher and lecturer" rolled into one. He graduated with a master's degree in Journalism from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and has worked as a reporter for the Jakarta Post daily newspaper for seven years, spending the past year managing the newspaper's website. He has also been published in the Singapore-based academic journal Media Asia, and is a part-time lecturer of online journalism at two prestigious private universities in Indonesia.

At UC Berkeley, he plans to focus on new media, as well as business and political reporting.

Myint Kyaw, 44, is based in Rangoon, Burma. He started his journalism career in 2003 as a reporter for Myanma Dana, a well-known Burmese business magazine. In 2007, he joined True News, a prominent news journal covering Burma's real estate and economy. In May 2008, Kyaw wrote dozens of stories on cyclone Nargis.

Kyaw also runs his own local news agency, the Myint-Ma-Kha, named after a river in Burma. He loves traveling and taking photos that, as he says, "reflect people’s real lives". At Berkeley, he is interested in pursuing photojournalism and business reporting.

Chinese journalist Sang Le, 27, is a senior editor at The Beijing News, one of the country's main daily newspapers. Over the past five years, she was responsible for breaking news and cover story reporting for the paper.

Sang Le graduated from Beijing International Studies University in 2002, where she developed an interest in the Middle East and journalism. While in Berkeley, she hopes to enhance her international reporting and investigative skills.

Yang Min, (Yang Weixia), 30, is a Chinese journalist based in Beijing. She holds a Master's degree in Chinese literature from East China Normal University in Shanghai.

Yang Min worked as a news reporter for Shanghai Oriental Morning Post for two years, before moving to Beijing in 2005 to join Window of the South, one of the most prestigious and extensively circulated magazines in China. As a senior journalist, she focuses on investigative reporting and pays close attention to the Chinese reform course.

At U.C Berkeley, Yang Min is excited to follow the 2008 presidential election and plans to focus on political and investigative reporting.

Stefania Rousselle is a 25-year-old Franco-American journalist. Before coming to Berkeley, she was working in Paris as an investigator at a documentary production enterprise Eclectic Production. All documentaries she reported on were broadcast primetime on French National Television.

Rousselle has also contributed to French magazines and newspapers such as Le Figaro, Le Monde, Elle and Sud Ouest. She graduated from the French Press Institute in 2007 and holds a master's degree in Modern History from the Sorbonne University.

At Berkeley, she plans to focus on investigative journalism and long-form television.

Signe Veje, 25, from Denmark, has spent the past six years traveling the world in between studying at the Danish School of Journalism in Copenhagen. She specializes in radio and television news reporting, and has worked at local television channels in Venezuela and Canada, on video productions around Europe, and on investigative stories for the Danish Broadcast Cooperation. Most recently, she has been studying International News and Global Politics in London.

Veje looks forward to developing her skills in long-form television and videography at Berkeley, not to mention experiencing the 2008 presidential election first hand!

Zhang Xiang, 36, from China, graduated from FuDan Journalism School in Shanghai in 1993. His first job was as a reporter for Yangcheng Evening News in Guangzhou, one of the largest newspaper groups in South China. In 2003, after a 10-year career covering local news, Zhang Xiang moved to Beijing seeking greater challenges. He joined Caijing Magazine, one of the most renowned business magazines in the country, as regional bureau chief, and then went on to work for the magazine's web version.

Zhang Xiang is deeply interested in online journalism, and hopes to hone his multimedia skills at UC Berkeley.

Wang Yibo is a 27-year-old journalist from Beijing, China. After graduating from Hubei University with a bachelor's degree in Journalism in 2003, he did a brief stint at the China Times as a breaking news reporter. He then joined the Beijing Times, one of the most outstanding market-oriented newspapers in China. Since 2007, he has been working at the Times' investigative department, reporting on China's legal system and the judiciary.

Wang Yibo plans to concentrate on investigative reporting and new media at UC Berkeley.

Chinese journalist Xia Ying, 33, is a senior editor at the Southern Weekend, a leading investigative newspaper with mass circulation in China. She joined the paper in 2001 and has since then focused on reporting on China's stock market and banking industry. Xia Ying holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Fuzhou University, and has received several awards during her 10-year journalistic career.

At Berkeley, she is keen on following the 2008 presidential campaign and studying business reporting.

If you would like to contact any of the Visiting Scholars, please write to us.

See bios of previous visiting scholars

Visiting Scholar Photo Slideshow

If you are a past or current visiting scholar and you have photographs or updates to share, please email us anytime. Make sure to include caption information -- the year, occasion, and participants. Happy holidays!