Fulbright-Nehru Academic & Professional Excellence Award (Teaching & Research) Archives - Page 4 of 8

John Lesieutre

Prof. John Lesieutre is an associate professor of mathematics at Pennsylvania State University, working in the field of algebraic geometry. He completed his education from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after which he held a postdoctoral position at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focus is on the geometry of higher-dimensional algebraic varieties, which are sets of solutions to systems of polynomial equations in many variables. He is particularly interested in how symmetries of the solution sets of these systems can shed light on the geometry of the underlying systems of equations. He has published numerous articles in this field.

Prof. Lesieutre’s Fulbright-Nehru project has three major components: to initiate a new research collaboration on the algebraic aspects of K-stability with a researcher at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc); to teach an informal mini course for IISc graduate students on algebraic dynamics; and to continue his studies on algebraic dynamics.

Christopher Kaczmarek

Prof. Christopher Kaczmarek is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and academic leader whose work spans sculpture, installation, new media, performance, and socially engaged practice. He holds an MFA in visual art and an MA in modern and contemporary art history, theory, and criticism from Purchase College, SUNY, as well as a BFA in visual art from Appalachian State University. Currently an associate professor of interdisciplinary art at Montclair State University, Prof. Kaczmarek has served as the head of the Visual Arts Program and as chair of the Department of Art and Design.

Prior to Montclair, he was a faculty member and administrator at Purchase College, where he was the director of instructional support for the School of the Arts and general manager of the Center for Community and Culture. Prof. Kaczmarek’s creative work has been exhibited in China, India, Scotland, Italy, Greece, Ireland, South Korea, and the United States. His works engage with themes of contemplation, embodiment, and connection through hybrid processes that combine analog, digital, and participatory strategies.

Prof. Kaczmarek’s scholarly and artistic activities include presentations at the College Art Association, the International Walking Arts Encounters Conference in Greece, and the European League of Institutes of the Arts in Brussels. He has also contributed to the journal Technoetic Arts and the Walking Art – Walking Practices proceedings. He is active in shaping national conversations around arts pedagogy and academic leadership, and his projects often involve collaboration and community participation, exemplified by initiatives like the Student Led International Collective Exhibition course at Montclair and remote performance collaborations across continents.

His interests include experimental and experiential teaching methods, walking as creative inquiry, labyrinths, collaborative exhibition models, and the inner workings of collective artistic practice. He is especially drawn to understanding how creative groups operate as effective collectives – structurally, interpersonally, and ideologically.

Prof. Kaczmarek’s Fulbright-Nehru project is engaging both traditional artisans and contemporary artists, combining research and teaching to explore and share dynamic practices, and fostering lasting collaborative ties and cross-cultural dialogue between Indian and U.S. artists.

Sachin Handa

Dr. Sachin Handa is MizzouForward Faculty and a tenured associate professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Earlier, at the University of Louisville, he had served as an assistant professor before being promoted to the position of associate professor. He earned his PhD in chemistry from Oklahoma State University and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Handa’s research lies at the intersection of synthesis, material chemistry, energy, nanocatalysis, photochemistry, and electrocatalysis. His work is recognized for its innovative approaches to sustainable chemistry, particularly in the development of environmentally benign catalytic systems. He has authored over 85 peer-reviewed publications, including papers in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature Communications, JACS Au, ACS Catalysis, Advanced Functional Materials, and Angewandte Chemie. His notable research contributions include advancements in micelle-driven electrocatalysis, ligand design for sustainable catalysis, and nanoparticle-mediated transformations in aqueous media. Many of his research products are commercialized by Sigma-Aldrich.

His excellence in research and commitment to green chemistry have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious NSF CAREER Award and the ACS Peter J. Dunn Award for Green Chemistry and Engineering Impact in the Pharmaceutical Industry. He has also received the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award in Physical Sciences. He currently serves as an associate editor for ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and holds editorial board positions with Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews and Molecules. He is also a member of the ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference Advisory Committee.

Dr. Handa’s Fulbright-Nehru project is developing a sustainable electrocatalytic-electromicellar method for synthesizing fluorinated heterocycles, which are key pharmaceutical intermediates. By using electrons as clean reductants and aqueous micelles from benign designer amphiphiles as solvents and electrolytes, the research aims to minimize environmental impact and improve atom economy. The project is also exploring the delayed adoption of green chemistry in India’s pharmaceutical sector. The fellowship integrates teaching a graduate course on green chemistry and catalysis, fostering international collaboration, and promoting sustainable practices in pharmaceutical manufacturing through academic–industry partnerships and student engagement.

Smita Guha

Dr. Smita Guha is a tenured and full professor at St. John’s University, NY, in the School of Education. She is also the chairperson of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
She received her PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her research involves preparing teachers in the areas of math and science education, and in child development.

Dr. Guha has written three books: Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders; Healthy Children; and Teacher as Researcher. Her fourth book, Critical Literacy for Socio-emotional Learning is in the print stage. She has also written several book chapters. Forty-one of her articles have been published in scholarly journals, and she has presented at more than 60 international, national, state and regional conferences.

Dr. Guha is also the founder of an after-school program that demonstrates the collaboration of family, school, and community. She has received several grants and has worked with underprivileged mothers and children living in homeless shelters in the U.S. and India. She is also the recipient of honors such as the Talent Award from New York State Assembly, the New York City Corps Artist Award, and the Outstanding Citizen award from the Council of the City of New York. Further, twice she has received the merit award and the faculty recognition award from St. John’s University.

A vocalist of Indian music, Dr. Guha is the founder and president of the nonprofit organization, Anandasangit.

Culture can impact how children build values, belief systems, thinking, and understanding of themselves as individuals and as members of society. The unique cultural influences that children respond to from birth include customs and beliefs around food and artistic expression. While a healthy diet is associated with overall development and improved cognitive function, so also is early exposure to music which ignites all areas of a child’s faculty. Both help the body and the mind to work together. The purpose of Dr. Guha’s Fulbright-Nehru study is to focus on child development across cultural contexts regarding food and music in India.

Ana Enriquez

Ms. Ana Enriquez is a librarian and lawyer who advocates for copyright law and research practices that enable all people to access and contribute to research. She is the copyright officer and head of the Office of Scholarly Communications and Copyright in the University Libraries at Pennsylvania State University. At Penn State, she manages the implementation of the university’s open access policy and the library services for researchers on scholarly communications and copyright.

Ms. Enriquez has been teaching copyright for 12 years, most recently for CopyrightX: Libraries, a global network of copyright courses for people working in libraries, archives, and museums around the world. She has also taught for the Library Copyright Institute and the Association of College and Research Libraries (U.S.). Her research focuses on making copyright work for libraries and researchers, and on using library expertise to advance access to knowledge. She has published, presented, and submitted comments to U.S. federal agencies on these topics. She holds a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in history and literature from Harvard College.

Ms. Enriquez’s Fulbright-Nehru project is attempting to advance access to knowledge by strengthening shared understanding among U.S. and Indian lawyers and librarians. At the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru, she is co-teaching a copyright course with Professor Arul Scaria and also offering a course for librarians. Besides, she is creating course materials to enrich her own future teaching assignments and sharing them for broad reuse by copyright teachers, including those at CopyrightX. In parallel with teaching, Ms. Enriquez is advancing her research on copyright law and access to knowledge, with a particular focus on copyright’s impact on libraries, archives, and museums under Indian and U.S. law.

J.P. Singh

Dr. J.P. Singh is Professor of International Commerce and Policy at the Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University, and Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow with the Robert Bosch Academy, Berlin. Previously, he was Chair and Professor of Culture and Political Economy, and Director of the Institute for International Cultural Relations at the University of Edinburgh.

Prof. Singh has published 10 books and over 100 articles. His latest books are: Cultural Values in Political Economy (2020), and Sweet Talk: Paternalism and Collective Action in North-South Trade Negotiations (Stanford, 2017). His book Globalized Arts: The Entertainment Economy and Cultural Identity (Columbia, 2011) won the American Political Science Association’s award for best book in information technology and politics in 2012. His current book project is Development 2.0: How Technologies Can Foster Inclusivity in the Developing World (Oxford, forthcoming). He has worked with international organizations such as UNESCO, the World Bank, and the WTO, and played a leadership role in several professional organizations. He is Founding Editor of the journal Arts and International Affairs. Previously he was Editor of Review of Policy Research, the journal specializing in the politics and policy of science and technology. Awards in 2022 include a $1.39 million grant from the Minerva program (as Principal Investigator), Distinguished Scholar in International Communication award from the International Studies Association, and Outstanding Scholar Award from the Schar.

He has taught at Scripps College (Claremont), University of Mississippi, American University, Georgetown University, School of Advanced International Studies – Johns Hopkins University, and George Mason University. Outside of the United States, he has taught at the University of Edinburgh, Graduate Institute – Geneva (IHEID), University of Siena, and University of Jyväskylä. He holds a PhD in Political Economy and Public Policy from the University of Southern California, an MA from Mumbai.

How are India’s export industries adopting artificial intelligence technologies to compete in the global economy? Can AI enhance Indian exports just as Information technologies did a generation ago? Prof. Singh’s Fulbright-Nehru project in India seeks to conduct research on the Indian policy and business landscape for AI technology adoption in export industries, while also presenting teaching modules on related topics of technology, diplomacy, and international commerce.

Elizabeth Simon

Dr. Elizabeth Simon RN, PhD, ANP-BC, has over 25 years of academic nursing experience and over 30 years of clinical experience. She had served in the capacity of Staff Nurse, Staff Development Instructor, Program Coordinator, Director, and Dean. She was also appointed as a Critical Care Nursing Consultant for the Corporate Nursing Services of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYCHHC). Dr. Simon is also a board-certified Adult Health Nurse Practitioner. She has authored and reviewed books on Critical Care Nursing, book chapters on transcultural issues, edited a book on non-communicable diseases, published many articles in peer reviewed journals and periodicals in the US and India. She has presented at various national and international forums. Dr. Simon was a Fulbright-Nehru Academic Excellence Scholar during 2015-16 academic years. Her academic degrees include BSc (N) from College of Nursing, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, Punjab University; MS in Critical care nursing from the School of Nursing, Columbia University; EdM. in Nursing Education from Teachers College; MS in Adult Health Nurse Practitioner from Hunter College, and PhD in higher education from Walden University. She was an LANP fellow of American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

The proposed Fulbright-Nehru project intends to implement three specialized nursing programs. A US model of specialized education for graduate nurses as Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) to provide care to the rape trauma victims. A second area of special training in Critical care transport nursing to solve the lack of a systematic prehospital care. Men in Nursing will be utilized to fulfill this advance role. A third curriculum introduced will be Home Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing. The Indian Nursing Council (INC) will oversee and guide implementation of these proposed programs.

Lumina S Albert

Dr. Lumina Albert is an Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Management, a Daniels Ethics Fellow, and the OtterBox Faculty Fellow in the College of Business at Colorado State University. She also serves as the Executive Director of the CSU Center for Ethics and Human Rights. Her research seeks to extend knowledge of social justice, ethical behavior, and interpersonal relationships in the business world. She has an MBA (with a dual specialization in Marketing and Human Resource Management) and a PhD in Business Management. Following her doctoral studies, Dr. Albert received the prestigious AAUW International Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue her research at the Department of Psychology at Stanford University and at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. She is an award-winning teacher and has been honored with the College of Business Excellence in Teaching Award and the ‘Best Teacher of Colorado State University’ Award, which is given to outstanding educators at CSU by the CSU Alumni Association and Student Alumni Connection. Her research has been published in scholarly journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Ethics, Human Resource Management Review, Organizational Psychology Review and Group & Organizations Management. Dr. Albert’s service at CSU and to the Northern Colorado Community has been recognized with the College of Business Outstanding Service Award, CSU Multicultural Distinguished Service Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from the Office of International Programs at CSU. She has served as a consultant with organizations such as Procter & Gamble, International Justice Mission, and Child Relief & You (CRY) on issues ranging from strategic public relations to organizing social marketing campaigns. She serves on the Board of Advisors of New Horizons House, an international organization providing holistic restoration for survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse. She is also a central organizer of the Northern Colorado Human Trafficking Symposium, a premier and distinctive conference that seeks to engage and educate on the issue of human trafficking through research, training, and collaboration. In her spare time, Dr. Albert enjoys cooking for her friends and family, interior designing, and traveling around the world!

The proposed Fulbright-Nehru project focuses on the ethics and human rights impact of corporates on people and communities in India. The project intends to examine the macro- and micro- level aspects of the ethics and human rights practices of global business organizations. Specifically, this research utilizes a norms-based framework to assess how corporate ethics practices impact the emergence of individual behaviors and community outcomes. Areas of research and teaching include how these businesses impact their stakeholders (i.e., consumers, employees, workers, the environment, and the community in which they operate).

Prof. Jeremy Rinker is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, where he is currently engaged in research that explores the intersections between peacebuilding, collective trauma, and systems of oppression. Prof. Rinker graduated with a PhD from George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (now called the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution) in 2009. His masters’ degree (2001) is from the University of Hawaii in Asian Religion. He holds a bachelor’s degree (dual major, 1995) from the University of Pittsburgh in Philosophy and Political Science.

Prof. Rinker’s research and writings have long focused on South Asian communities, untouchability, human rights, and narrative meaning making in identity-based social justice movements. His past work emphasizes the skills and practices of nonviolent conflict transformation in social justice movements decision making processes, justice advocacy, and identity formation. With background and expertise in restorative justice conferencing, program development, narrative analysis, and social movement organization, Prof. Rinker is also the editor of the Journal of Transdisciplinary Peace Praxis, an innovative new journal of peaceful social exploration and human flourishing. Prof. Rinker’s past publications include two books as well as academic articles in Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, Peace and Change, The Canadian Journal of Peace Research, and the Journal of Peace Education, among other scholarly outlets. Prof. Rinker was a 2013 Fulbright-Nehru awardee in Banaras, India where he taught and engaged in research through the Malviya Centre for Peace Research at Banaras Hindu University. He is currently writing a 3rd book on being trauma aware and emotionally mindful in conflict practice.

The social and psychological obstacles that past collective traumas place upon marginalized communities represents a deep intellectual lacuna in the social scientific understanding of structural violence (Galtung, 1969) and conflict transformation (Lederach, 1997, 2005). Only recently has the emerging field of peace and conflict studies (PCS) begun to take the embodiment of trauma in collectives seriously as an important dynamic variable in social conflict. Much work remains to be done to center collective trauma in our understanding of sustainable peace. As a result, marginalized communities continue to suffer persistent systemic and structural violence and indifference to their unique pasts. This gap in the research and practice literature represents a critical opportunity space for developing unique community engaged peacebuilding interventions which value unique identity differences. This is the seedbed of democracy, and Prof. Rinker’s research and teaching as a 2022-23 Fulbright-Nehru awardee would provide the space and structure to envision a more inclusive framework for trauma-informed peacebuilding while in the context of the world’s largest democracy.

Research on the diverse Indian social system provides unique opportunities to build awareness about collective historical trauma and solidarities with marginalized identities and communities in the United States, and elsewhere. The post-colonial context of modern Indian society can be described as a petri dish for this type of work. Prof. Rinker’s Fulbright-Nehru project seeks to engage both in-person and with B.R. Ambedkar archives at Symbiosis University (SU) to develop a trauma-informed framework for indigenous and inclusive peace practice. His previous work on identity, rights, and narrative awareness (Rinker, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2009) raises a rich set of comparative qualitative questions about the important connections between protracted social conflict, memory, and collective historical trauma. Prof. Rinker’s proposed Fulbright-Nehru project aims to outline what inclusive peace would look like in a heterogeneous society with competing identities and communities. In developing a trauma-informed lens for both understanding and nonviolently engaging social exclusion, this work aims to map potential solidarities among social justice and human rights social movements. Symbiosis University’s (SU’s) strong reputation in the social sciences provides an ideal mooring for this theory building research and teaching practice. Being able to collaboratively collect data and teach alongside social scientists and critical liberal arts thinkers will allow him to develop a grounded theory framework for trauma-informed peacebuilding. In developing his critical pedagogy through teaching Indian undergraduate students in peace and conflict resolution studies, his research and teaching will reinforce each other. Through teaching, interviews, and a series of workshops/focus circles developed in partnership with Symbiosis University, the Manuski Center (a human rights center also located in Pune), and the Ambedkar Museum and Memorial, Prof. Rinker will inductively explore the role collective trauma in developing peace praxis. With this proposed Nehru-Fulbright award he hopes to share an action science-oriented research experience at SU’s Center for International Education (SCIE), the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum and Memorial, and the Department of Conflict Resolution Studies. This experience will allow Prof. Rinker to both collect data and engage in archival research of India’s rich civil society and social movement history.

Nancy Neiman

Prof. Nancy Neiman has been a Professor of Politics at Scripps College since 1994. She has won numerous teach, scholarship and community service awards. She has taught a wide range of political economy courses including, Markets and Politics in Latin America, the Power Elite: Surveying the Influence of Business over Public Policy, and Infrastructures of Justice. Prof. Neiman teaches a Political Economy of Food course through which she has organized a number of community engagement projects that bridge theory and practice among which are a social enterprise organized with women who were formerly incarcerated, a program called Plant Justice with students at an alternative high school, and a Meatless Monday program that brings students and women who were formerly incarcerated together to share prepare and share meals and food justice programming. She also teaches Napier intergenerational learning courses and Inside-Out courses inside a local prison. Her most recent book, Markets, Community and Just infrastructures, includes a variety of case studies, including an interfaith coffee cooperative in Uganda, Cuban financial reform, globalization in Juárez Mexico, and the US meatpacking industry, to provide a framework for understanding the conditions under which markets promote or undermine social justice.

Focusing on pastoralist women in Gujarat India, the Fulbright-Nehru project of Prof. Neiman intends to track several key coping strategies and practices during Covid-19 among Gujarati pastoralist communities during the pandemic: the struggle over access to grazing lands and the ability to maintain traditional livelihoods, access to healthcare, navigating women’s traditional roles and their role as leaders, and promoting agrarian citizenship. Using qualitative data analysis gathered from interviews and quantitative ARCGIS survey data tracking pastoralist migratory patterns and community welfare, this project hypothesizes that pastoralist identities in Gujarat support, and are supported by, a broader transformational food sovereignty movement.