Three Western Michigan University faculty members have been selected for the 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, according to a Jan. 8 announcement from the university. Dr. Lisa Paulius and Dr. Clement Burns, both professors of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Igor Fedotov, professor of viola in the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music, will participate in international research and academic collaboration.
The Fulbright awards are significant as they promote global academic exchange and advance research across disciplines. The program is recognized as one of academia’s most prestigious fellowships.
Paulius and Burns will travel to Grenoble, France, to work at the Néel Institute at Grenoble Alpes University—an area known for its major scientific facilities such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Institut Laue-Langevin. Paulius said her research on superconductors aims “to decrease the cost of making these materials and to increase how much current they can carry.” She added that new skills learned abroad “will allow me to enhance laboratory offerings for students at WMU and better prepare them to engage globally at the forefront of this scientific research.” Burns will focus on experimental studies involving exotic superconducting materials: “Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical state in which electrons pair together and move without scattering, eliminating electrical resistance,” he said. He noted that working with leading scientists would help him bring new knowledge back to his students: “Global exchanges expose faculty to new ideas and approaches… They can lead to long-term collaborations, federal research grants and even opportunities for students to conduct research abroad.”
Fedotov has been living in Baku, Azerbaijan during his sabbatical year teaching viola at Baku Music Academy while also researching Azerbaijani classical music collections: “Working directly with scholars, musicians and composers here is deeply rewarding,” he said. Fedotov plans a concert retrospective highlighting a century of Azerbaijani music on April 12 at WMU’s Dalton Center Recital Hall featuring guest artists from Azerbaijan alongside WMU faculty and string students: “This repertoire represents an essential part of Azerbaijan’s musical heritage… rarely encountered in Western pedagogy,” Fedotov said.
He also plans two public performances in Baku in May 2026 focused on Azerbaijani-American chamber music partnerships: “Such partnerships strengthen WMU’s global presence; foster cross-cultural dialogue; and create opportunities for future academic, artistic and research initiatives that benefit both faculty and students,” he said.
Dr. Michelle Metro-Roland, associate director at WMU’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education, described Fulbright as operating in 160 countries: “The Fulbright mission to foster mutual understanding, advance knowledge and improve lives around the globe is now more important than ever.” She added that alumni include recipients of Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships—and several distinguished Western Michigan University faculty.
According to the official website, href=’Western”>https://wmich.edu/’>Western Michigan University fields 16 Division I varsity sports as a Mid-American Conference member. The university supports inclusive excellence for all students according to its official website , promotes sustainability through LEED-certified buildings and award-winning landscaping, has earned top-100 national rankings for several graduate programs according to its official website, enrolls more than 17,000 students according to its official website,
and emphasizes education that is learner-focused,research-orientedand globally involved according to its official site.
Metro-Roland concluded by noting nearly eight decades during which Fulbright winners have addressed critical global issues while building relationships supporting U.S interests worldwide.