Four UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for the 2023-2024 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
Patrick Davison, Anthony Hackney, Carissa Hessick and Pamela Lothspeich are among more than 800 U.S. citizens who will teach or conduct research abroad in this cycle.
Fulbright scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often initiating research collaborations abroad and laying the groundwork for partnerships between institutions.
“The Fulbright Scholars Program provides an invaluable opportunity for UNC faculty to expand their horizons and to present their scholarship on the global stage,” said Barbara Stephenson, vice provost for global affairs and former U.S. ambassador. “Our Fulbright faculty are contributing to the University’s global brand and bringing a more global mindset back to campus.”
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international academic exchange program sponsored by the United States Government. Led by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, Fulbright offers an expansive suite of international academic and cultural exchange opportunities.
The next deadline for the Fulbright Scholar award is Sept. 15. The UNC Center for Faculty Excellence provides resources for faculty pursuing a Fulbright Scholar or Fulbright Specialist award, including application assistance, information sessions and one-on-one consultations throughout the year.
MEET THE AWARDEES
Patrick Davison, professor in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, will travel to Japan to produce a series of documentary videos examining the evolution of Japanese culture. Davison previously received a Fulbright award in 2014-15 to produce films about Japan’s aging population. Davison aims to portray personal narratives that shed light on broader societal questions, such as how Japan’s rapidly aging society will affect cultural traditions in the future, how the loss of traditional masters impacts traditional cultural practices and how Japan can reinvigorate traditional arts and crafts while capitalizing on the booming global market for its pop culture industry.
Anthony C. Hackney, professor of exercise physiology and nutrition in the Department of Exercise and Sports Science (jointly in Department of Nutrition), is now a four-time Fulbright awardee. He will complete his fellowship at the University of Eastern Finland as the Fulbright-Saastamoinen Distinguished Chair in Health Sciences. There, Hackney will lead research for the next two years on the effect of exercise on the reproductive physiology and endocrinology of children and adults. At Carolina, Hackney serves as the faculty Fulbright liaison for the Center for Faculty Excellence.
Carissa Hessick, the Anne Shea Ransdell and William Garland “Buck” Ransdell Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law, was awarded the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the Australian National University (ANU) to study criminal sentencing in Australia. While at ANU, she will work at the Centre for Social Research and Methods with Lorana Bartels, ANU professor of criminology and expert in sentencing and criminal justice issues. Hessick’s research is part of a bigger book project on criminal sentencing in common law countries.
Pamela Lothspeich, associate professor in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, was awarded a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship. She will travel to India to research Raslila, a traditional form of theatre that presents stories of the childhood and adolescence of Krishna, incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. Lothspeich’s research centers on modern adaptations of the Hindu epics. While in India, she will interview organizers, musicians and performers, and she will attend Raslila performances. This award marks Lothspeich’s second Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship, her first one awarded in 2012-13.
By Rawan Abbasi ’20, UNC Global