Two UC faculty named Fulbright scholars

Researchers will study abroad in engineering education and theoretical physics

Faculty members in engineering and physics received a Fulbright award that will allow them to pursue their work abroad.

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board awarded grants to two professors — one in UC’s College of Arts and Sciences and the other in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

University of Cincinnati Assistant professor Nayana Shah, left and Associate Professor Carlos Bolech Gret posed with their key diagrams on the Whiteboard at Geology Physics Building. UC/Joseph Fuqua II

UC Professor Carlos Bolech was named a Fulbright scholar for 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC

Professor Carlos Bolech is a theoretical physicist studying emergent phenomena in quantum matter systems in which strong correlations play a central role. Bolech will use the Fulbright award to travel to Spain to establish a collaboration with an expert in quantum computing and technologies in Madrid.

Last year Bolech and UC doctoral student Aleksandar Ljepoja, along with co-author Nayana Shah from Washington University in St. Louis, published a series of three papers in the journal Physical Review B examining new ways to simplify complex quantum physics problems. The insights they developed are important for helping researchers turn intractable problems into solvable ones in various fields of physics.

“I’m working on the theoretical side of nanotechnology and quantum engineering,” Bolech said.

If we consider that engineering is about solving problems, that means understanding the challenges that face people around the world.

Associate Professor Cedrick Kwuimy, UC College of Engineering and Applied Science

Associate Professor Cedrick Kwuimy studied physics and applied physics in Cameroon where he earned a doctoral degree. He later earned a certificate from Villanova University in teaching engineering in higher education. Today he teaches in UC’s Department of Engineering and Computing Education.

Kwuimy, a U.S. citizen, worked with UC International, the university’s department that works with units across the campus, student organizations, community partners and industry leaders to open up global opportunities. In particular, Kwuimy has worked to establish UC connections in Ghana, where he spent the past month as a Carnegie fellow in its African diaspora program.

“I just came back from the University of Cape Coast for a capacity-building workshop,” he said.

Associate Professor Cedrick Kwuimy. Photo/Provided

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he launched a virtual international collaboration with Cape Coast and the University of Ghana. He also plays an important role in UC’s study abroad programs, which allow more than 1,000 students each year to study in foreign countries. In 2023, he led 13 students from three UC colleges to Ghana.

Kwuimy also received a National Science Foundation grant to develop a new eight-week research co-op for UC engineering students at two universities in Ghana. UC pioneered cooperative education in which students dedicate part of the year to classwork and part of the year to full-time employment in their chosen field.

Undergraduate students in UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science typically complete five co-op rotations with employers in their specialty before graduating.

Under the Fulbright award, Kwuimy will develop a program allowing first-year engineering students at UC to collaborate with students at the University of Ghana to develop professional and technical skills.

“If we consider that engineering is about solving problems, that means understanding the challenges that face people around the world,” he said.

Many students at UC will go on to work at companies with large international footprints, he said. This program will help students develop cultural communication and empathy, which are increasingly marketable skills, he said.

“By understanding different approaches, this makes them better engineers capable of developing innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems,” Kwuimy said. “Most companies are international organizations, so it’s a plus for students to have that perspective.”

According to the scholarship board, Fulbright Scholars use the grants to engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations that they started while studying abroad and leading to partnerships between institutions.

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. These include 62 Nobel laureates, 82 MacArthur fellows and 93 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Featured image at top: UC Associate Professor Cedrick Kwuimy, far left, leads students on a study-abroad trip to Ghana. Photo/Provided

Cedrick Kwuimy poses with students during a study-abroad trip.

Associate Professor Cedrick Kwuimy, center, leads UC students on study-abroad trips to Ghana. Photo/Provided

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Two UC faculty named Fulbright scholars

Researchers will study abroad in engineering education and theoretical physics

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