Illinois Global Institute executive director Jerry Dávila will become the next director of the University of Illinois' Humanities Research Institute on Aug. 16, 2026, pending Board of Trustees approval. He will succeed history professor Antoinette Burton, the long-serving founding director of HRI.
Dávila, an expert in Latin American history and a leader in global humanities, has been at Illinois since 2012. He holds the Jorge Paulo Lemann Chair in Brazilian History, and his research focuses on the role of racial thought in public policy in Brazil and on the relationship between states and social movements in the 20th century. In addition to his leadership of IGI, he has been at the forefront of the University of Illinois System's Brasillinois initiative, which has expanded research collaboration and scholarly exchange across disciplines with institutions in Brazil.
Political science professor Gisela Sin, director of the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies, will serve as the interim executive director of IGI during the Fall 2026 semester, while a search for a permanent executive director is conducted. Sin has experience in this position, having previously served as acting director of IGI for the 2024-2025 academic year while Dávila was on sabbatical.