The Fulbright Program has recognized Cal State LA as one of the nation's top-producing colleges and universities for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, based on the number of faculty and administrators selected for the award.

For the 2025-26 academic year, the Fulbright Program recognized 114 colleges and universities nationwide as Top Producers of Fulbright recipients, including 25 institutions recognized for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Cal State LA is one of just four master's institutions in the nation to be named a Fulbright Scholar Top Producing Institution.

As a Fulbright Top Producing Institution, Cal State LA demonstrates a strong commitment to global engagement by supporting members of its campus community in pursuing international teaching, research, and professional exchange opportunities.

"Cal State LA is proud to be recognized as a top-producing institution for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program," said Heather Lattimer, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cal State LA. "This distinction reflects the scholarly excellence of our faculty, whose global engagement enriches teaching, research, and service while creating meaningful benefits for our students and the communities we serve."

Three Cal State LA faculty members were selected for Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards for the 2025-26 academic year. J. Chris Bachman, Arturo Pacheco-Vega, and Olaseni "Seni" Sode were chosen to represent the university abroad, advancing international collaboration, expanding professional networks, and strengthening enduring institutional partnerships.

Bachman, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Mexico. From August 2025 to January 2026, he was based at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana, where he taught human-centered design and automotive engineering, mentored the university's Formula SAE student team, and collaborated on research in sustainable automotive technologies. He also led faculty workshops on project-based and asset-based pedagogies.

Pacheco-Vega, professor of mechanical engineering, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to teach and conduct research in the Czech Republic during the 2025-26 academic year. He is collaborating with the University Centre for Energy Efficient Buildings at the Czech Technical University in Prague. His project focuses on developing advanced thermo-fluids models and AI-informed simulation methods to improve energy efficiency in multiroom building systems.

Sode, associate professor of chemistry, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to France. He is spending six months in Grenoble at the Institut Néel, a national research laboratory of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, where he is conducting fundamental research in condensed-matter physics. His project focuses on applying artificial intelligence and machine-learning techniques to better understand how atoms vibrate inside materials with important technological uses, such as oxides and superconductors.

In addition, Cal State LA has been selected to host a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) from Italy during the 2025-26 academic year. Dario Coletti, an associate professor of cell biology at Sapienza University of Rome, is an expert in skeletal muscle homeostasis, regeneration, and tissue engineering.

This marks Cal State LA's first time hosting a Fulbright SIR, a milestone that highlights the university's growing engagement in international collaboration and academic exchange.

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the U.S. government's premier international academic exchange program. Each year, it provides opportunities for exceptional Americans and participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach, and conduct research abroad, advancing knowledge, science, and industry through international exchange and collaboration.

According to the Fulbright Scholar Directory, 126 Cal State LA faculty scholars taught or conducted research abroad between 1950 and 2025, while 45 visiting scholars conducted research at Cal State LA from 1966 through 2024.

Additionally, 10 Cal State LA students have participated in the U.S. Fulbright Student Program since 1964, according to the Fulbright Grantee Directory. 

During this academic year, Cal State LA alumnus Michael Zitser was also awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to Denmark. Zitser, who earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry in 2024, was selected by the Danish Fulbright Selection Committee and approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, D.C.

"I am incredibly proud of Michael for earning a Fulbright, a recognition of his academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to cross-cultural understanding," said Sonia Cruz Magaña, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program advisor at Cal State LA. "Supporting Cal State LA students through the Fulbright process is always a privilege, and it is especially rewarding to see when their hard work and vision are recognized on a global stage."

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and funded by the U.S. government, with additional support from participating governments, partner institutions, corporations, and foundations worldwide. 

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders across all sectors and industries in the United States and around the world.  

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.