Three University of Notre Dame researchers have been awarded significant three-year grants from the in support of work related to the archeological aspects of Castel Sant鈥橝ngelo in Rome, contextualizing Catholic resistance in 20th-century central and eastern Europe, and the use of virtue ethics in generative artificial intelligence systems.
, the Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Associate Professor of , and , senior research and partnerships program manager at the in the , have each won an grant. , associate professor in the , is leading a team that has been awarded a grant.
The Notre Dame awards are among $34.79 million in grants in August to support 97 humanities projects across the country.
鈥淲e are immensely proud of these Notre Dame scholars for receiving this federal funding to support their work on critical topics,鈥� said the John and Catherine Martin Family Vice President for .鈥淭his financial support is a testament to the exceptional caliber of humanities scholarship done here, and it will enable these researchers to enrich public understanding and contribute to the vibrant intellectual life of our nation.鈥�
Digging for more
Built in second-century Rome, Castel Sant鈥橝ngelo was initially created as a mausoleum for the Roman emperor Hadrian and his family 鈥� making it one of the most notable tombs in the world. Over the centuries, the towering rotunda was used as a fortress and residence for medieval Roman Catholic popes, and today, it serves as a museum that welcomes more than a million tourists each year.
But Hernandez, a classical archeologist, says little research has been conducted on the building itself.
鈥淣ew studies demonstrate that major aspects of its original architecture are presently misunderstood, including its design, display and intended symbolism,鈥� Hernandez said.
Together with, an associate professor of the practice at the , Hernandez will use the NEH grant to create a two-volume book, tentatively titled 鈥淭he Mausoleum of Hadrian and Castel Sant鈥橝ngelo: The Tomb and its Afterlife,鈥� that will serve as the first comprehensive interpretation of the landmark site. They will also create a 3-D digital model of the monument that will be available for the public.
鈥淲ith this grant, we鈥檙e able to undertake on-site fieldwork over the course of three years and publish a comprehensive study of the archaeology, architecture and history of Castel Sant鈥橝ngelo, one of the most significant and iconic monuments located in the heart of Rome,鈥� Hernandez said. 鈥淚 am deeply honored and immensely grateful to receive this research support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.鈥�
A 鈥榲iew from below鈥�
In the aftermath of World War II, central and eastern Europe was significantly shaped by communist government repression of many forms of expression, including religion. With her NEH grant, Munsen is aiming to shine a light on and humanize those everyday Catholics who were devoted to resisting these restrictions during the 20th-century period.
Munsen鈥檚 research project, Contextualizing and Personalizing the Diversity of Catholic Resistance to Communist Religious Oppression in Central and Eastern Europe (1944 to 1991), will come to life through the creation of a multimedia website. The site will feature digital storytelling through embedded video clips from eyewitness interviews, as well as provide historical and political context to accounts from that time period.
鈥淩ather than reiterating state-centered narratives, this precious corpus of interviews provides a 鈥榲iew from below,鈥� foregrounding the lived experiences of individuals and communities who were often marginalized in official histories,鈥� said Munsen, who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in and her Ph.D. in at Notre Dame.
By showcasing voices across several countries and cultures, including Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Slovakia and Croatia, the project will highlight the rich diversity in how various religious communities navigated communist dominance. Munsen said she hopes the project will expand scholarly discourse on how religious individuals navigate and challenge totalitarian regimes.
Her research will draw from and highlight the Nanovic Institute's long-standing, and connections with Institute of Church History, in particular, will significantly advance the aspirations of the new
鈥淚鈥檓 perhaps most excited about the collaborative nature of this project, which convenes an international and multidisciplinary group of scholars alongside specialists in digital interactive media and archival systems,鈥� Munsen said.
Keeping the human in humanities with AI
With the rapid progression and integration of artificial intelligence in everyday life, leading technology and humanities scholars at Notre Dame are aiming to explore how to enhance and emphasize humanity in the creation of generative AI systems.
Led by Stapleford, the Notre Dame Program on AI and the Development of Ethics in Agents (ND-PAIDEIA) will gather a network of multidisciplinary researchers to think collectively about how to best cultivate human flourishing amidst the emergence of powerful AI systems. The group will focus on generative AI in relation to two central themes: citizenship and justice, and creativity and human judgment.
鈥淭ogether, these themes address two distinctively human capabilities: our political life in community 鈥� with its aspiration to be governed by reasoned discussions of justice 鈥� and our capacity to develop, evaluate and choose our own goals or ends,鈥� Stapleford said. 鈥淕enerative AI systems have the potential to enhance or diminish both of these capabilities.鈥�
The idea for the program stems from an initial workshop at Notre Dame organized by Stapleford and assistant teaching professor in their , which was a part of the inaugural
The NEH grant will help the group continue their research and allow ND-PAIDEIA to draft guidelines for using virtue ethics in developing and implementing generative AI systems. They plan to then test and refine the guidelines through various projects and events such as hosting research seminars, offering workshops, involving undergraduates through a hackathon event, running an annual conference, authoring papers and hosting bootcamps on virtue ethics and generative AI. The team also intends to build the foundation for ND-PAIDEIA to become a permanent program at Notre Dame.
ND-PAIDEIA involves collaboration between the , the 聽and the I, along with additional support from the and the The application was also supported by the city of South Bend鈥檚 , which will work with ND-PAIDEIA on some of its future activities.
鈥淣D-PAIDEIA is dedicated to using insights from the humanities to help us design and use generative AI systems in ways that strengthen, rather than weaken, those core aspects of what it means to be human,鈥� Stapleford said.
Originally published by at on August 05, 2025.