People Directory

Noor O’Neill Borbieva is professor of anthropology at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Her research, on gender, religious change, and the development sector in the former Soviet Union, has been published in numerous journals, including Slavic Review, Central Asian Survey, and Anthropological Quarterly. Her book, Visions of Development in Central Asia: Revitalizing the Culture Concept, was published by Lexington Books in 2019. Her current project is a collaboration with Systems Engineering Professor David Cochran. The project applies systems theory to student success processes at PFW. Dr. Borbieva also directs the PFW Office of Major Scholarship Advising, which helps PFW's top students as they compete for nationally competitive scholarships. A native of Seattle, Washington, Dr. Borbieva received her Ph.D. from Harvard University and her B.A. from Princeton University. She served in the Peace Corps in the Kyrgyz Republic from 1997 to 1999. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, playing and listening to many genres of music, and chauffeuring her two school-age kids to events and activities. Access CV here: