From the Chairman

On behalf of Fulbright Australia, I would like to congratulate each and every one of our 2021 and 2022 Scholars. The Fulbright Scholarship represents a culmination of your efforts as agents of change in your fields, and you have earned a place in a 75-year legacy of Australian-American academic excellence, collaboration, and cultural exchange.

These past two years have seen dramatic social upheaval, forever altering our priorities and perceptions of what is important. In our fight to control a global pandemic, many of the freedoms and responsibilities we once took for granted have been thrown into stark refrain. These sacrifices for the greater good opened social rifts as debate continues to rage over what is necessary and what is an overstep. Meanwhile, nations have become islands and the people-to-people diplomacy that we at Fulbright consider as one of our primary objectives has been significantly scaled back.

But Aussies and Americans have survived hardship before. Our bilateral Alliance, one of the world’s strongest and longest enduring, was forged in hardship, and we have overcome decades of challenges together, advancing scientific progress, entrepreneurship, innovation, and philosophical enquiry along the way.

The Alliance has, in fact, emerged from the pandemic stronger than ever, with the new AUKUS pact set to multiply and elevate our collaborations even further over the coming years. The Fulbright Program, too, remains strong.

Where there is a will (and a vaccine), there is a way, and all of you in our combined 21/22 cohort will soon find yourselves departing on your Fulbright journeys to continue the bilateral collaboration and diplomacy that our namesake Senator, J. William Fulbright, envisioned when he proposed the Fulbright-Hayes Act to the U.S. senate back in 1946.

We thank each of you for your patience as we have navigated the new requirements for safe international travel, and appreciate the sacrifices you yourselves have made to reach this milestone.

I would also like to thank all of our generous sponsors that make our program possible. Along with the steadfast support of the Australian and U.S. governments, the generosity of the higher education, research, and philanthropic sectors in both countries has powered the Fulbright Program for many years.

We look forward to the next 75 years of academic excellence and bilateral cooperation.

Larry Lopez Chair, Australian-American Fulbright Commission Board of Directors

PROFESSOR SIMON MCKIRDY

Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Agriculture & Life Sciences

Funded by Kansas State University

Home: Murdoch University

Host: Kansas State University

Field: Biosecurity

Simon is Professor of Biosecurity at Murdoch University, and Pro Vice Chancellor of the Harry Butler Institute. His research interests are focused on the many components of biosecurity systems (risk assessment, diagnostics, surveillance, treatments and response) and how they interact.

For his Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Life Sciences Award, Simon will work with researchers at Kansas State University. The research will focus on defining what is a resilient biosecurity system, the outputs of which can be used to assist governments design the future frameworks in the face of growing challenges.

Dr Christopher Barton

Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Science, Technology and Innovation

Funded by CSIRO

Home: University of Kentucky

Host: CSIRO

Field: Restoration Ecology/Environmental Sciences

Professor Kyle Beardsley

Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Funded by The Australian National University (ANU)

Home: Duke University

Host: The Australian National University

Field: Political Science

Chris is a Professor of Forest Hydrology and Watershed Management at the University of Kentucky. He has spent nearly three decades conducting ecosystem restoration research. Chris is also the founder and President of Green Forests Work, a non-profit program dedicated to improving the environment and economy of areas impacted by coal mining. Through this program, over 3 million trees have been planted on mine lands in the Appalachian region of the US.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Chris will work with CSIRO, university scientists, conservation groups and mining companies in Australia to promote reforestation in Queensland and the Hunter Valley. He will also study the impact of these reforestation efforts on climate change mitigation and protection of the Great Barrier Reef.

Kyle is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Duke University. He is also co-director of the ICB data project and Deputy Director of the Triangle Institute of Security Studies (TISS). His research interests focus on the quantitative study of international conflict and peace processes. He is particularly interested in questions related to the role of third parties in shaping conflict dynamics, the links between armed conflict and gender power imbalances, the diffusion of armed conflict across space, and the impact of nuclear weapons on international crisis behavior.

At ANU, Kyle will work on a project related to the public health legacies of conflict and peace operations, as well as on a project related to the co-evolution of interstate networks of threat and support.