Five scholars receive Fulbright Awards to confront urgent global challenges
From building a stronger STEM pipeline to advancing cancer research, the scholars will collaborate with international partners on education, environmental stewardship, cybersecurity, and public health solutions.
Five Virginia Tech faculty members have received U.S. Fulbright Scholar Awards for the 2025-26 academic year. The awards will support the scholars’ efforts to address a variety of global challenges.
During the next year, they will work to strengthen the STEM pipeline; develop resilient, cyber-secure systems impacting water quality; address critical housing needs; create models for viable coastal lobster fisheries; and advance new drugs for more effective prostate cancer treatment.
“Through the prestigious Fulbright Scholars Program, Virginia Tech faculty are making meaningful contributions to communities abroad and helping strengthen relationships between the United States and other nations,” said Dan Sui, senior vice president for research and innovation. “With their research expertise, our faculty are able to expand their portfolios and develop new focus areas, while establishing professional collaborations with international partners.”
Since the Fulbright program’s inception in 1946, more than 175 Virginia Tech faculty members have been selected to participate. Worldwide, the program has provided more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research; exchange ideas; and contribute to solutions to important international problems.
Fulbright Scholar Award recipients
Diana Bairaktarova, associate professor of engineering education
Bairaktarova will use her Fulbright to expand spatial skill resources for students and faculty at Technical University Sofia in Bulgaria. She will introduce a first-year engineering course that combines freehand drawing techniques with CAD technology and lead faculty seminars and workshops for local teachers. Spatial skills are key to student success in STEM fields. By expanding spatial skills training through academic and professional channels, Bairaktarova aims to help build a more resilient STEM pipeline.
Feras Batarseh, associate professor of biological systems engineering and Commonwealth Cyber Initiative
Batarseh’s Fulbright research will focus on advancing and securing enduring solutions in agriculture and water/wastewater systems. With increasing threats to food, agriculture, and water sectors, his work highlights the urgent need for resilient, cyber-secure systems. While emerging technologies enhance these sectors’ efficiency, they also introduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities that can affect water quality, farm operations, and financial stability. Artificial intelligence offers promising tools to detect, predict, analyze, and mitigate these threats, enabling novel approaches to more secure and resilient agricultural frameworks in Qatar, the MENA region, and globally.
Edward Becker, associate professor of architecture
Becker will travel to Tampere University in Finland to study how multistory mass timber housing is designed, developed, and delivered in one of the world’s most advanced wood construction contexts. Mass timber — a renewable, high-performance wood building material — offers a powerful way to reduce carbon emissions from the construction sector. Working with Finnish researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders, he will identify best practices that could be adapted to address housing and environmental challenges in the United States. He will also co-teach courses at Tampere University and develop case studies and training materials to share findings with architecture, engineering, and construction professionals in both countries.
Holly Kindsvater, associate professor of fish and wildlife conservation
Kindsvater will travel to southern Norway to study trends in lobster populations, ecological factors, and fishers’ attitudes toward overfishing safeguards. There, European lobster fishing is both culturally and economically important, but lobster populations are declining. Working with colleagues at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research in Flødevigen, she will help develop models to support viable coastal lobster fisheries.
Amrinder Nain, professor of mechanical engineering
Nain will collaborate with Aki Manninen at the University of Oulu in Finland to combine mechanics with biology to learn how the environment influences the behavior of cancer cells and their nuclei. This includes developing a better understanding of how they multiply and spread to inform the development of new drugs for more effective treatment. Prostate cancer affects one in eight men globally, making it a top priority for the medical community.
For advice and resources on applying for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program, visit Virginia Tech’s Fulbright Fellowships webpage. For information on the Fulbright Student Program, contact the Global Education Office.
