University of Melbourne celebrates Fulbright scholar

The University of Melbourne is celebrating its new Fulbright scholar and welcoming two overseas awardees who have chosen to study at the University.

The scholarships support Australian recipients for professional development in the United States and promote cultural and educational exchange between nations.

This year Dr Gwilym Croucher will pursue post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr Croucher is a senior lecturer in the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education and Principal Policy Adviser at the University of Melbourne’s Chancellery.

He will be based at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at UC and will examine how universities and governments can best ensure ongoing support for research in era of growing politicisation of science.

“University-based research efforts are crucial to solving global challenges, from climate change to improving human health,” Dr Croucher said.

“The Fulbright is a chance to work with colleagues in California on pressing questions of how research universities in Australia and the US can continue to thrive when faced with emerging challenges of resourcing and legitimacy.”

University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) and Deputy Provost Susan Elliott said the awarding of a Fulbright scholarship to Dr Croucher underlines the University of Melbourne’s world-class reputation for research and teaching.

“Fulbright Scholarships support outstanding graduates and recognise the potential international impact of their research aspirations,” Professor Elliott said.

Meanwhile, two US-based awardees will study at the University of Melbourne.

Ms Raechel French from Cornell University in New York will work with the Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change project to identify relationships between quality teaching and the effective use of these spaces.

She has spent the last three years helping plan and design schools across the United States.

Ms Shruti Gujuran from the University of Maryland in Baltimore will be based at the Doherty Institute and will study resistance to antibiotics and contribute to the Institute’s development of novel mechanisms to avoid or reduce developed resistance in patients.