UCI welcomes international Fulbright Scholars
The five scholars are from Ukraine, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and India
The Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor recently hosted a welcome event for the Fulbright Visiting Scholars studying at UC Irvine.
“We are pleased to host these Fulbright scholars at UCI,” said provost and executive vice chancellor Hal Stern. “Their collaborations with scholars at UCI advance their careers while benefitting our campus, their home institution and their home countries.”
During the 2023-24 academic year, UCI is hosting seven scholars, and one faculty member, UCI Law Professor David Kaye, is serving as a Fulbright scholar in Sweden. While two scholars are scheduled to be on campus during the second half of the year, the five scholars from India, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Vietnam attended the welcome event. Since the early 1970s, UCI has hosted nearly 200 scholars from the prestigious program, which is known for its rigorous and competitive selection process.
“We wanted to give the scholars an opportunity to meet each other and learn more about UCI,” said Roxane Cohen Silver, vice provost for academic planning and institutional research. “Our hosting these scholars also gives us an opportunity to showcase UCI and increase our international visibility.”
The Fulbright scholars are:
- Chiung-hsuan Chiu of Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, who will study in the Paul Merage School of Business under Gerardo Okhuysen
- Natasha Frolova of Dnipro State University in Ukraine, who will study in the School of Social Ecology under Roxane Cohen Silver
- Kashif Hanif of CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute in India, who will study in the Samueli School of Engineering under Naomi Chesler
- Abdulilah Mayet of King Khalid University in Saudia Arabia, who will study in the Samueli School of Engineering under Fadi Kurdahi
- Duc Viet Nguyen of the Directorate of Water Resources, in Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who will study in the Samueli School of Engineering under Phu Nguyen and Soroosh Sorooshian
Coming later this year are Upendra Harbola from the Indian Institute of Science in India to study chemistry and Pragya Agarwal from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom to study social sciences.
Each year, about 900 faculty members and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar grants for advanced research and university lecturing in the U.S. Individual grants are available to scholars from over 100 countries. Those who meet the eligibility requirements apply for grants through the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in their home country. After a thorough selection process in the home country, final approval for awards is issued by the presidentially appointed Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in the U.S. Visits range in length from three to 12 months.