UC Irvine scholars Quoc-Viet Dang, Julia Gelfand, Denise Payán and Kai Wehmeier have received Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for the 2025-26 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is one of the most prestigious international exchange initiatives, supporting accomplished faculty, researchers and professionals in teaching and research abroad. These highly competitive awards reflect both the recipients’ academic excellence and their potential to foster cross-cultural collaboration and global understanding.

• Quoc-Viet Dang, associate professor of teaching in electrical engineering and computer science, will provide advice on updated teaching methods to build students’ essential skills, teach an undergraduate course in computer engineering, and collaborate on research in embedded systems and Internet of Things at the University of Engineering and Technology, Vietnam National University, in Hanoi. 
• Julia Gelfand, librarian for applied sciences and engineering, will use the Fulbright award to join the library staff at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, helping develop onboarding and information literacy programming. This is Gelfand’s second Fulbright award; she was the 1992-93 Fulbright librarian at London’s Imperial College & Science Museum Libraries.
• Denise Payán, associate professor of health, society and behavior at the Joe C.Wen School of Population & Public Health, will conduct her Fulbright research in Australia, examining nutrition policy design and implementation in partnership with colleagues at the University of Sydney. 
• Kai Wehmeier, Dean’s Professor of logic and philosophy of science, awarded the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair, will research contemporary theoretical philosophy and formal semantics, teach two graduate seminars, and deliver an open lecture to the public in France.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program for 2026-27 is open for applications, with over 375 awards available in more than 130 countries. It offers U.S. faculty a unique chance to engage in international research, gain cross-cultural experience and build global academic networks. Participation not only enriches UC Irvine recipients’ scholarship but also enhances the university’s global research profile.

The application deadline is 2 p.m. Sept. 15. Visit the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program webpage for full details and application guidance. If you require additional assistance, contact UC Irvine Fulbright liaison Andrea Bell at andreapb@uci.edu.