Fulbright Scholar Program awards multiple Purdue faculty
Seven faculty from Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus and one from Purdue University Northwest have been named 2024-25 Fulbright U.S. Scholars.
The Fulbright Scholar Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those in other countries.
Since its establishment in 1946, the program has awarded more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Equipping students with a strong foundation in business analytics and data science, promoting sustainable development through innovative design principles, and exploring the application of ammonia in aircraft propulsion systems are some of the projects being pursued by the awardees, who will complete their research at educational institutes around the world.
Awardees, projects and destinations
Janet Davis, associate professor of nursing, College of Nursing, Purdue University Northwest. Davis will be based at the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka while working on her teaching project, titled “Strengthening Nursing Education in Sri Lanka.” She plans to develop and enhance nursing leadership and teaching by providing students, faculty and practicing nurses the skills needed to take on the challenges of complex health care. More details about Davis’ award can be found online.
Andrew DeWoody, professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Agriculture. DeWoody will live in Slovenia while teaching and performing research at the University of Ljubljana on “Population Genomic Insights into Wildlife and Environmental Conservation.” He aims to critically test ways of DNA-based aging and edit a nontraditional textbook about genetic concepts for students interested in conservation.
Genell Ebbini, assistant professor in the Patti and Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, College of Liberal Arts. Ebbini’s project, titled “Optimizing Health and Well-being in Oman’s Sustainable Built Environment,” aims to enhance health and well-being in Oman by integrating evidence-based sustainable design principles into the country’s architectural and urban planning practices. She will be hosted by the University of Nizwa.
Daniel Flaherty, Chip and Jane Rutledge Early Career Associate Professor in the Borch Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy. Based in Australia at the University of New South Wales, Flaherty will focus his research on “Understanding Proteome and Metabolome Changes in Bacteria Upon Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibition.”
Bryan Hubbard, professor in the School of Construction Management Technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute. As part of his project, titled “Energy Performance of Buildings Utilizing Industrialized Construction,” Hubbard will conduct an energy assessment of modular educational and apartment facilities while based at Universidad de Málaga in Spain.
Li Qiao, professor of aeronautics and astronautics engineering in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, College of Engineering. Qiao will live in Japan and collaborate with researchers at Tohoku University on “Exploring Ammonia as a Hydrogen Carrier for Aerospace Applications.” Her goal is to better understand the fundamental combustion properties of ammonia and explore its application in propulsion systems for small and midsized aircraft.
Winston Sealy, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology in the School of Engineering Technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute. While living in Jamaica, Sealy will be based at the University of the West Indies-Mona focusing on “Industry Alignment Project: A Product Development and Advanced Industrial Automation Capstone.” He aims to revamp the university’s yearlong capstone course to closely reflect the dynamic landscape of Jamaica’s industrial sector.
Zhiwei Zhu, clinical assistant professor of management in the Quantitative Methods area, Mitch Daniels School of Business. Through the delivery of courses and exploration of innovative avenues, Zhu will focus on “Collaboratively Elevating Excellence in Business Analytics and Data Science Education” while living in Hungary. He will be hosted by Széchenyi István University.
Each year, the Fulbright Scholar Program offers over 400 teaching, research or combination teaching and research awards in more than 135 countries. For more information about the program, visit the Fulbright website, or email Christopher Lukasik, director of Fulbright faculty awards, at clukasik@purdue.edu.