FULBRIGHT’S YEAR IN REVIEW 2025
The United States Congress established the Fulbright Program in 1946 as a bold investment in global peace and American safety and prosperity through educational and cultural exchange. Since then, the Fulbright Program has provided nearly 450,000 students, scholars, scientists, professionals, teachers, scientists, and artists with life-changing opportunities to study, conduct research, and teach in over 160 countries and territories around the world, through awards shaped by the United States and partner nations to address shared challenges and further joint prosperity.
Nearly 4,700 students, scholars, and professionals started Fulbright exchanges in 2025. They will join the ranks of Fulbright alumni who are leaders in board rooms, groundbreaking researchers and scientists, award-winning teachers, pioneers of the Space industry, and heroes in uniform.
Fulbright Kicks Off America250 Programming
In 2025, the United States began its commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution through celebrations of America’s historic achievements and contributions to the world. Fulbright is part of this legacy—a bold investment in global peace and American prosperity through educational and cultural exchange. Fulbrighters are leaders who engage in boundary-pushing research, work at the cutting edge of critical industries, and prepare the next generation of students with important skills and new perspectives.
As part of the America250 celebration, which will continue through the end of 2026, Fulbright is celebrating America’s legacy of leadership and its contributions to innovation, commerce, science, culture, peace, and freedom throughout the world by highlighting the stories of Fulbrighters who have made innovative and lasting impacts.
Fulbright has organized America250-themed seminars and events that highlighted American history, culture, and innovation for Fulbrighters from abroad. In 2026, even more activities are planned in the United States and abroad to celebrate this important anniversary.
America250-Inspired Features from 2025
U.S. and Hungary expand STEM cooperation through Fulbright
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, the binational Fulbright Commission in Hungary announced it will expand the John von Neumann Distinguished Award in STEM, introducing new opportunities for scholarly exchange between the United States and Hungary.
Amar Bose founded an iconic American brand
Amar Bose established the Bose Corporation after undertaking his Fulbright research in India in the 1950s. The iconic brand is an example of what is possible when American ingenuity combines with opportunities for in-depth study and cutting-edge research through Fulbright.
Aaron Copland’s music still captures America’s spirit
American composer Aaron Copland received Fulbright awards to Italy and Germany, where he performed, lectured, and introduced audiences to American artistic achievement in the wake of World War II. Copland’s work exemplifies America’s optimism and possibility, 125 years after his birth.
Award winning American authors have published about the Revolutionary War’s global impact
American Fulbrighters have brought global attention to the Revolutionary War by sharing their historical research on its origins, leaders, and enduring ideals of freedom and individual rights with audiences around the world.
Rosalyn Yalow revolutionized medical diagnostics
Dr. Yalow pioneered the use of the radioimmunoassay to measure minute particles in the blood. In 1977, Dr. Yalow won the Nobel Prize for her work and received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to Portugal.
Milton Friedman reshaped free market economics
American economist Milton Friedman, an intellectual leader in the “Chicago School” of economics, refined his ideas in the United Kingdom as a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University in 1953. He applied economic theory to real-world problems in the pursuit of shared prosperity.
James D. Watson’s double helix discovery ushered in the modern scientific era
Dr. Watson, one of the most influential scientists in the 20th century, received the 1962 Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of DNA’s double helix structure. His work transformed biology, medicine, and industry by ushering in the era of modern biotechnology, enabling genetic engineering, genomic medicine, and the life-sciences industry and its biotech-based innovation. In 1986, he served as a Fulbright distinguished lecturer in Argentina. Dr. Watson passed away in 2025.
Frank Martin Snowden, Jr.’s scholarship expanded our understanding of the ancient world
One of the first Fulbright Scholars, Dr. Snowden studied classical antiquity in Italy in 1949 and returned later in his career as the cultural attaché of the U.S. Embassy in Rome during the Eisenhower administration. President George W. Bush awarded him the National Humanities Medal in 2003.
Fulbright alumni transformed the field of mathematics
Eight Fulbright alumni have won the Fields Medal and or the Abel Prize—the two most prestigious mathematics awards. Dr. Terence Tao, a Fulbright Foreign Student from Australia, won the Fields Medal in 2006 for his groundbreaking work in partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, combinatorics, and additive number theory.
Awards & Recognition
Fulbrighters were recognized for their achievements and impact across all sectors of society. Fulbright alumni include 83 MacArthur Fellows, 63 Nobel Prize Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 46 current and former heads of state or government.
Pulitzer Prizes: Two Fulbrighters received Pulitzer Prizes in 2025
Historian Dr. Benjamin Nathans witnessed the Soviet Union’s dissolution as a Fulbrighter in 1991 and won the Pulitzer Prize for his book about the Soviet Dissident Movement. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a 2009 Fulbright U.S. Student to Germany, won the Pulitzer Prize for his Broadway hit Purpose.
Tony Award: Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins earns another Tony Award
Jacobs-Jenkins earned the Tony Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for his Broadway hit, Purpose. In 2024, his play Appropriate received the Tony Award for Best Revival.
Emmy and Peabody Awards: Director Lucy Walker’s documentary receives top honors
Walker, a 1992 Fulbright Foreign Student from the U.K., earned a Sports Emmy and a Peabody Award for her documentary Mountain Queen, a profile of Lhakpa Sherpa, the first woman to summit Everest ten times.
Guggenheim Fellowship: 18 Fulbright alumni are among the Guggenheim Foundation’s 100th class
Fulbrighters were honored for their achievements in the creative arts, humanities, social sciences, and science, including Marzena Abrahamik, whose Fulbright U.S. Scholar award supported her photographic project Underground documenting the lives of Polish coal miners.
Academy Awards: Shaped by two Fulbrighters, Brazilian film wins Oscar for Best International Feature
Murilo Hauser, a Fulbrighter from Brazil, co-wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award-winning film I’m Still Here. He earned an MFA at the University of Southern California, where he was mentored by Fulbright alumna, writer, editor, and producer Mary Sweeney.
National Teacher of the Year: Pennsylvania high school teacher and Fulbright alumna
The Council of Chief State School Officers selected Ashlie Crosson, an English teacher at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, to be the National Teacher of the Year—the organization’s most prestigious recognition. Crosson credits her Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program experience in Morocco for helping her to redesign her classroom instruction and her role as a teacher leader.
Fulbrighters headline TIME 100 Most Influential People
Three Fulbright alumni were recognized among 100 “leaders shaping the world today and defining its future.” Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was featured for pioneering microfinance and leading Bangladesh’s interim government. Dr. Robert Montgomery was identified because he transformed the future of organ transplantation. Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins was included for the new perspectives he brought to the stage.
Fulbright’s Impact
Harnessing technology, cultural insight, and entrepreneurial skill, Fulbrighters innovate to create solutions that improve lives today and inspire the generations to come.
CEO applies lessons in adaptability, strategy, and service from his Fulbright and military experience
Jeff McLean, a former U.S. Navy pilot who is now CEO of a leadership advisory firm, embodies service, scholarship, and leadership. His Fulbright experience at Oxford strengthened his approach to leadership in the Navy and the business world.
American geologist connects U.S. and Sri Lankan leaders on critical minerals
American geologist Dr. Kusali Gamage—an ocean drilling expert—brought together researchers and industry leaders to discuss graphite, a critical mineral for electronics, nuclear reactors, and electric vehicles, as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar in Sri Lanka.
University of North Dakota engineer develops solutions for water security and space travel
Dr. Ali Alshami worked with engineers in Qatar to develop water filtration equipment that is durable, efficient and economically viable using a novel material derived from date palm leaves. Now he is working with NASA to develop water systems to support a human presence on the moon.
U.S. Navy surgeon’s trauma care research improves domestic healthcare and strengthens national security
As Director of Global Surgery at the Uniformed Services University, Dr. Tamara Worlton trains the next generation of U.S. military physicians. Her Fulbright research in Sri Lanka shows how trauma care in lower-resourced environments can inform U.S. military readiness and improve emergency response for civilians.
University of South Carolina engineering professor innovates aerospace and infrastructure
Dr. Austin Downey developed robotic computing systems to make drones smarter and more reliable and worked with students on self-driving vehicles, as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Sweden. Back in South Carolina, he is continuing to innovate autonomous systems and is developing a new graduate-level certificate program in battery engineering and technology.
Business analytics researcher drives AI innovation in healthcare
Dr. Rachida Parks’ groundbreaking research is driving the integration of AI and digital innovation in healthcare. Through her Fulbright research in Morocco and the ongoing collaborations it fostered, Dr. Parks is developing human-centered AI solutions that improve patient care and shape the future of health systems in the United States and worldwide.
MIT physicist shares American innovations in space exploration
As a Fulbright Specialist hosted by the Philippine Space Agency, Dr. Joel Villasenor delivered lectures on American innovations in space exploration. He highlighted how American advances in high-energy satellites and reusable rocket technology are reducing mission costs and lowering barriers to space exploration.
West Virginia finalist for the 2025 Global Teacher Prize connects classrooms through virtual STEAM exchange
Tiffany Pace, a K-5 teacher inspired by her Fulbright Teacher Exchange in Uruguay, connected K-5 students at Cross Lanes Elementary in Charleston, West Virginia and students from Salto, Uruguay to collaborate virtually to build and program engineering models. Pace was a finalist for the 2025 Global Teaching Prize.
Fulbright’s Legacy and Future
The Fulbright Program sustains critical international partnerships that promote peace and joint prosperity on a bilateral basis. In 2025, Fulbright joined with binational Fulbright Commissions and Embassies to celebrate the program’s rich legacy and engage with accomplished alumni and communities around the world.
In 2025, Fulbright Commissions mark anniversaries around the world
Independent binational Fulbright Commissions in 49 countries, funded jointly by the United States and partner governments, plan and implement Fulbright exchanges in their countries. In 2025, five Fulbright Commissions celebrated their 75th Anniversaries, including Fulbright Austria, Fulbright India, Fulbright Korea, Fulbright Pakistan, and Fulbright Thailand.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Celebrating 80 Years of Fulbright
August 1, 2026 will mark the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Fulbright Act. In recognition of this important milestone, we will conduct events and activities throughout 2026 to celebrate Fulbright’s important role in America’s global legacy.
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