This year, eight Georgia Tech students have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, and four have been named as alternates. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, provides opportunities for students and professionals to study, conduct research, and teach abroad while promoting mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
Among this year’s recipients are several members of Georgia Tech’s Class of 2026, as well as a doctoral student.
Divya Tadanki, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, expressed her enthusiasm about her future research plans. “Through the Fulbright,” she explained, “I’ll be working in the Netherlands to research the predictors of preterm labor. I’m very excited to delve deeper into my research interests with people from across the globe.”
After double-majoring in biology and Spanish, Sonali Kaluri is headed to Spain to study the health of migrant workers under the digital platform economy. “With the Fulbright Scholarship,” she said, “I will conduct research on the gig economy and its implementation into health systems in Spain at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health.”
Having earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, Seth Kinoshita will be working with Professor Urszula Stachewicz in the Electrospun Nanofibers group at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland. “I am excited to connect with my Polish heritage, explore Eastern Europe, and strengthen my research background,” he remarked. “Thank you to Dr. Brunner for their endless support during this process, and I encourage everyone to consider applying for fellowships while at Tech!”
Zachary Beddingfield, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology, will travel to Germany as a Fulbright Research Scholar where he will explore the intersection of his two passions: biology and machine learning. “I will be learning how to implement Protein Language Models to design de novo proteins that are unrelated to any proteins found in nature,” he explained. “I hope to design a de novo protease that degrades a specific protein responsible for most symptoms in human urinary tract infections, as proof of concept that these tools can be used to target a broad range of pathogenic proteins.”
With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience, Diya Chutani will continue her academic journey as a Fulbright Canada recipient, beginning a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Western Ontario’s Music and Neuroscience Lab. “To be able to return to the music cognition community I discovered in Ontario last summer,” she noted, “where there is value in both my musical and scientific background, is a privilege I am so grateful for. I am eager to begin contributing meaningfully to research that can enhance music-based interventions for neurodegenerative diseases.”
Anya Martin, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Interactive Computing, plans to focus on weather and climate forecasting in India. “I plan to use the Fulbright to do social-scientific work with meteorologists in India using AI machine learning (AI/ML) methods for weather and climate forecasting,” she said, reflecting on her selection for the award. “AI/ML methods have a lot of promise for meteorology, but we will see how the methods pan out in practice.”
Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided nearly 450,000 talented and accomplished individuals with the opportunity to exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges. More than 2,000 Fulbright U.S. Students — including recent college graduates, graduate students, and early career professionals — pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English in schools abroad each year.
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries. In the United States, the Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.
For more information about the Fulbright Program or other nationally competitive awards, visit the Prestigious Fellowships Advising website or contact the team at fellowshipsadvising@gatech.edu.
The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia awarded the program the 2026 Teaching Excellence Award for Department or Program.
MSHCI program director Dick Henneman and assistant director Carrie Bruce received the award on May 12 during a Board of Regents (BOR) meeting.
Henneman has served as director of the program since 2015, and Bruce has served as assistant director since 2014. The program began in 1996 and has since expanded to be offered by four Georgia Tech schools:
“As we put our award submission together, it was nice for us to reflect on all our hard work and to understand the impact this program has had on students,” Bruce said. “We recently surveyed alums, and so many said they were thankful for the way this program shaped their careers.”
Under the leadership of Henneman and Bruce, the program has achieved a 99% graduation rate, with about 60 graduates per year, up from about 30 since 2015. Henneman said the program has become one of the most competitive of its kind in the world, with an admission rate under 10%.
“We have some incredibly qualified students who are a part of the program,” he said. “We’ve had a number of graduates move into design management positions, and some have started their own companies.”
Henneman and Bruce said that one thing that distinguishes Tech’s MSHCI program is its close partnerships and alignment with industry. The program has an industry advisory board that keeps students informed about the skills companies value.
“We adapted our core classes quite a bit to ensure that they weren’t just getting the academic version of HCI methods,” Bruce said. “Our program is practical and focuses on what they are going to do when they get into industry.”
Though the program continues to grow, Henneman says it has maintained a sense of community among students, which he says is another thing that sets it apart. Many alumni keep in touch and return to offer industry advice, critique resumes, and conduct mock interviews with current students.
“A lot of times graduate school can be all about the individual,” he said. “As we prepare students to go work in industry, it’s all about collaboration and the people you’re working with and learning how to work on teams.”
Georgia Tech had 21 faculty and researchers recognized in the 2026 Regents Awards. From the College of Computing, Santosh Vempala was named a Regents’ Professor, while Srinivas Aluru and Ellen Zegura had their Regents’ titles renewed.
This month, nineteen Georgia Tech faculty and researchers were honored by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia (USG) with 2026 Regents’ Awards. These distinctions, awards, and reappointments recognize excellence in teaching, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship across the USG.
The recipients were approved during the University System of Georgia’s 2026 awards cycle, recognizing individuals whose sustained contributions have made a significant impact on their fields, their students, and the broader research and education community.
This cohort includes faculty who represent all six schools across the College of Sciences.
2026 Regents’ Award Recipients and First Renewals
College of Sciences
College of Sciences second renewal approved by Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera:
View all nineteen recipients across the Institute here.
About the Regents’ Awards
The Regents’ Awards are among the University System of Georgia’s highest honors, recognizing sustained excellence, national distinction, and long-term impact by faculty and researchers across the state’s public institutions.
He first considered Tech while walking to a basketball game with his father back in the ‘90s. Hope wondered aloud if Tech could be in his future.
His father answered: “Sure, IF you can get in.”
Hope took the response as a personal challenge. “It awakened a mission to prove to everyone that doubting me was a mistake,” he remembers.
Years later, Hope did get in, but getting out proved far more difficult.
As someone who’d always been good in math, Hope began in computer engineering, then switched to industrial engineering. Struggling with his classes, he was faced with a hard choice: sit out a semester or leave Georgia Tech.
He chose to stay.
“It was fight or flight,” says Hope. “I knew I had to find something I was passionate about and catalyze some momentum — or go home.”
He found that passion in the science of behavior.
“I discovered Industrial-Organizational Psychology and realized that the human element; how we work, why we lead, and how we build cultures, is a fascinating and useful science,” says Hope.
Once he found his direction, Hope never faltered.
Today, he is a people leader at Google, who attributes much of his success to the resiliency honed at Georgia Tech. And, after once coming close to leaving without a degree, he is now returning to give the commencement address at the College of Sciences master’s graduation celebration.
What were you involved with on campus?
Hope: I was a Georgia Tech Student Ambassador and a Co-op Ambassador. I was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the Student Alumni Association, the Minority Recruitment Team, the African American Student Union, the National Society of Black Engineers, and the Freshman Activities Board.
What’s something you’re especially proud of from your time at Tech?
Hope: I was an IT co-op at McKinneys, before I switched to psychology. I was told I couldn’t receive the co-op designation on my diploma because it wasn’t in my major. I read the rules, saw no language that disqualified me, advocated for myself, and persuaded them to change their minds. If that rule is different now, it’s because of me.
What is your leadership philosophy?
Hope: Show up as my authentic self. Part of the reason I'm able to do that is that I work at a company like Google where that's really championed.
How did Georgia Tech influence the way you lead today?
Hope: I learned that even when it looks like there are no options, there is always a way to get it done and move forward.
What concepts from psychology shape your leadership style?
Hope: The scientific method comes to mind. Create a hypothesis, leverage some data, then iterate. Stay open to being wrong. If it’s not exactly what you expect, go back to the drawing board.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Hope: I'm a teacher at heart. Knowledge sharing and helping others grow are important to me. That said, I don’t speak just to talk. I constantly ask myself: Is what I’m about to say useful? Georgia Tech taught me to value thoughtful contribution over volume.
What’s a leadership rule you follow?
Hope: I don’t know if this is a leadership rule or a life mantra, but always act with integrity. Never do or say anything you wouldn’t want printed in The New York Times. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, but it only takes one thing to ruin your reputation, and leadership is built on trust.
In your commencement speech, you talk about the importance of leadership in everyday life. How does leadership show up in your home life?
Hope: My wife and I are very intentional in parenting our two boys. Our instinct is often to teach, but sometimes the best lesson is knowing when to step back. Letting them make mistakes, then talking it through together at the kitchen table, that’s a different — and oftentimes more difficult — kind of leadership.
A deeply engaged alumnus, Hope has served on the College of Sciences Young Alumni Board, participates in Georgia Tech Connect and Roll Call, and was recently asked to join the College of Sciences Advisory Board.
What advice would you give to Georgia Tech graduates?
Hope: Constantly build your brand. Mine is important, not just for me personally, but the better my reputation, the more I can help others through the influence I carry.
Why is giving back important to you?
Hope: As a student ambassador, I saw firsthand how alumni support shapes the student experience. I remember realizing that certain buildings and programs exist because alumni gave back. It changed my entire perspective on giving. Today, I like being a part of creating something bigger and better for the next generation of scholars.
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