Two UND faculty members receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Awards

The most recent UND Fulbright awardees show increased interest on campus in applying to participate in the federal research program

Two UND faculty members have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship grants to engage in overseas research for the 2024-25 grant cycle.

Ali Alshami, associate professor of Chemical Engineering, and Aaron Kennedy, associate professor of Atmospheric Sciences, have received the fellowship grants, and will spend a year in Qatar and Iceland, respectively.

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions.

UND Provost Eric Link offered his congratulations to Alshami and Kennedy, on their achievement.

“To be recognized as a Fulbright Scholar is an incredible honor and achievement, and we are so proud of professors Alshami and Kennedy, who will bring to Qatar and Iceland their expertise, leadership, and vision,” Link said. “It’s great to have faculty from the University of North Dakota traveling across the globe to teach and conduct research; it is another way in which UND is having an impact way beyond the borders of Grand Forks.”

Alshami said he will be teaching in Qatar, as well as conducting research into developing a water purification system that enables simultaneous water and energy applications. He will teach courses on engineering skills and ethics, and engineering research methods.

“I am grateful to have received such an award, and looking forward to contributing to technological advancements that enhance both water and energy sectors, fostering sustainability and efficiency,” Alshami said.

In Iceland, Kennedy said he will be doing research with the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Kennedy’s research focuses on snow, and blowing snow instrumentation, to help understand and forecast avalanches.

“A lot of planning went into the Fulbright application and it’s great to see the project come to fruition,” Kennedy said. “I’m most excited to serve as a scientific ambassador between the U.S. and Iceland and look forward to building connections between the two countries. Doing science in a beautiful part of the world is a bonus.”

Alshami and Kennedy are the most recent Fulbright awardees at UND. Brian Urlacher, chair of political science and public administration in the Nistler College of Business & Public Administration, was named a 2023-2026 Fulbright Specialist. Doctoral student Richard Hoberg was named a 2024 Fulbright Research Grantee and 2024 American Scandinavian Foundation Scholar for his doctoral research project in Norway called “Investigating Equity in the Reorganization of Norway’s Rural Schools.”

The recent Fulbright awards UND scholars have received mark increased interest on campus in applying to participate in the Fulbright program.

In 2023, Yee Han Chu, academic support and fellowship opportunities coordinator at UND, was selected to join the inaugural group of Fulbright Program Advisor mentors. Following that, she and other UND staff and faculty established a statewide Fulbright chapter to help prospective Fulbright scholars, artists and researchers across the state. Lavinia Iancu, director and assistant professor of the forensic science program, is serving as president of the North Dakota Fulbright chapter.

Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, Fulbright Scholars share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad.

Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Notable Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 80 MacArthur Fellows, 41 heads of state or government, and thousands of leaders across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

Over 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. In addition, over 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants—recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals—participate in study/research exchanges or as English teaching assistants in local schools abroad each year.

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org.

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Media Contact: Adam Kurtz, adam.kurtz.1@und.edu