UMass Amherst Earns Fifth Top Producer Honors for Fulbright Scholars
AMHERST — UMass Amherst has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for the fifth time, a designation awarded to an elite group of U.S. universities with the most faculty researchers and administrators selected for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2025-26.
UMass Amherst faculty members representing the Riccio College of Engineering (Emily Kumpel and Nick Tooker), the College of Humanities and Fine Arts (Margaret Vickery and Christine Ho), the College of Natural Sciences (Panayotis Kevrekidis), and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Ina Ganguli) were selected last fall to receive Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards. They have since been conducting and sharing research with partner institutions in Africa, Asia, India, and Europe.
“It is hugely gratifying to have our faculty’s research activities recognized once again by this Fulbright accolade,” said Kalpen Trivedi, senior vice provost for Global Affairs and director of the Office of Global Affairs, and a liaison to the program. “Our strong participation in the Fulbright Scholar Program is evidence of UMass’s commitment to engage globally for the common good.”
UMass Amherst is among 25 institutions — and one of only two in New England — named as Fulbright U.S. Scholar Top Producers for 2025-26, the fifth time the university has been recognized among doctorate-awarding, top-tier research universities under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
UMass Amherst Fulbright Scholars join the national Fulbright alumni network dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities and the world. The network includes 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 83 MacArthur fellows.
“Earning the Top Producer distinction once again affirms our faculty’s commitment to scholarship, academic research, and global partnership, and reflects the priority placed upon the Fulbright U.S. Scholars award as a UMass point of pride,” said Kimberly Stender, senior administrative coordinator to the senior vice provost for Global Affairs and campus liaison to the Fulbright Scholar Program.
As a program of the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, it has provided nearly 450,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbright award recipients exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.