Schools

Villanova Profs Earn Prestigious Fulbright Scholar Grants

Scholars will research religion, neuroscience, and government in Morocco, Canada, and Croatia.

The U.S.Fulbright Scholar Program has selected three Villanova University professors to be awarded grants, making 2016 the second year in a row that three faculty members have been awarded the prestigious honor.

According to the university's website, Adriano Duque and Irene Kan from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Tuan Samahon from the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law were each awarded 2016-17 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grants by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) after being selected their on academic and professional achievements, as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

According to the university, Duque, an associate professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures has been awarded a research grant to study Muslim-Christian relations in Morocco and will spend January through August 2017 at Abdelmalek Essaadi University-Tetouan, conducting research for his project titled: “Celebrating John the Baptist: Shared Saint Veneration Among Muslims and Christians in Morocco.”

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Kan, a professor of Psychology, was selected for a Fulbright Scholar Award at the University of Toronto, Ontario (Fall 2016) and a Fulbright Visiting Research Chair award at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta (Spring 2017), the university said. She will be collaborating with scientists at the University of Toronto and the Rotman Research Institute, examining the cognitive architecture and neural bases of human memory. At the University of Lethbridge, she will work with researchers at the Department of Neuroscience and the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, investigating the neural underpinnings of cognitive control and memory monitoring processes, according to the university.

The university said Samahon, a professor and scholar in the areas of constitutional law and federal courts, will serve as a Fulbright scholar with the law faculty at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. He teaches and writes about separation of powers and governmental accountability at the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, and while he's in Croatia, Samahon will teach a seminar in spring 2017 on comparative approaches to public administrative law, with an emphasis on transparency, according to the university.

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"At Villanova, we pride ourselves on having faculty who are true teacher-scholars—dedicated to excellence in both teaching and research," Provost of Villanova University Patrick G. Maggitti, Ph.D, said in a statement. "The consistent success of Villanova faculty in this prestigious, national program speaks volumes about the strength of our academic programs and our longstanding commitment to exceptional teaching and scholarship."

Each year the Core Fulbright Scholar Program offers more than 500 teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries.

Image via Villanova University Facebook


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