Each year roughly 850 faculty and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar awards for advanced research and university lecturing in the United States. Individual awards are available to scholars from over 100 countries.

U.S. Higher Education institutions are instrumental to the success of the Fulbright mission. They are key allies in advancing the goal of sharing knowledge across communities, promoting mutual understanding across nations and improving lives around the world.

U.S. Institutions

Alumni Ambassadors

Kusali Gamage

Academic year

2023–2024 

Discipline

Geology

Institution

Austin Community College

Countries

Sri Lanka

Dr. Kusali Gamage, a marine geologist and educator, engaged in discussions on critical minerals, taught courses in oceanography and introductory geology, and mentored undergraduate researchers as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the Department of Geology at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Through teaching, collaborative research, and engagement with faculty and students, her Fulbright experience catalyzed new international collaborations and expanded her work in geoscience education. She fostered U.S.-Sri Lanka collaborations in graphite research, laying the groundwork for a 2026 US–Sri Lanka Graphite Summit to bring together researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers in the critical minerals sector and ocean drilling science community. Kusali’s Fulbright work has supported her efforts to expand geoscience education and workforce development opportunities at community colleges, advance international scientific cooperation, and contribute to national security.

U.S. Scholars

Non-U.S. Scholars

Kusali Gamage