By Alia Gilbrecht-Hindi and Dina Gustin
HOUSTON, Texas (September 8, 2026) Representing a 46% increase from the previous year and supporting 19 faculty-led
projects across 10 colleges, the University of Houston’s Global Faculty Development
Fund (GFDF), advanced and increased its global reach. During 2025–26, these outstanding academic activities, an Office of the Provost initiative
managed by the Institute for Global Engagement, spanned international research, conference
presentations, partnership development, learning abroad, virtual exchange, global programming, and
visiting scholars.
Recipients represent a wide range of departments at the University of Houston to include the
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Cullen College of Engineering, Kathrine
G. McGovern College of the Arts, C. T. Bauer College of Business, College of Education,
Honors College, College of Pharmacy, Graduate College of Social Work, UH Law Center, and
College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
GFDF-supported projects originated at UH campus and across several countries globally
to include Armenia, Brazil,
Costa Rica, France, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, South Korea, Spain and the United
Kingdom. Broader project activities also involved the Czech Republic and Poland, while
a visiting-scholar initiative strengthened UH’s connection with ITAM in Mexico.
GFDF efforts create collaborative pathways that begin here in Houston and extend through
partnerships with colleagues and institutions around the world. Collectively, these
projects have advanced research, enriched student learning, and pedagogy. UH’s global
engagement is strengthened both abroad and at home by grant development, supported
publications, and research networks.
The profiles below highlight each recipient’s department, project, and UH impact.
2025–26 GFDF Awardees:
Dr. Justin Burris, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
Dr. Justin Burris led the faculty-led program Teach, Learn, Explore: Costa Rica, through
which UH students studied the Costa Rican education system, engaged with preservice
teachers at Universidad Hispanoamericana and taught at a local elementary school in
Heredia, strengthening cross-cultural teaching skills and laying the groundwork for
continued learning abroad and institutional collaboration.
Dr. Zheng Chen, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cullen College
of Engineering
Dr. Zheng Chen presented research on safe robotic refueling at the IEEE International
Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics in Genoa, Italy, and engaged with
robotics researchers at the University of Genoa, advancing a UH Subsea Systems Institute
project while supporting future research collaboration, technology transfer, industry
engagement and student recruitment.
Dr. Carol Cooper, Honors College
Dr. Carol Cooper completed a planning visit for Freedom of Conscience in Central Europe,
a faculty-led program spanning Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, refining the
student itinerary and learning activities while strengthening connections with Ludwig
Maximilian University of Munich and the White Rose Museum.
Dr. Guillermo de los Reyes, Department of Hispanic Studies, College of Liberal Arts and
Social Sciences
Dr. Guillermo de los Reyes presented research on Freemasonry and secular thought in
Mexico at a conference hosted by the University of Burgos in Spain and met representatives
from that institution, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and Complutense University of Madrid
to explore student mobility, joint programming and research partnerships.
Dr. Lorra Garey, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Lorra Garey presented UH research at the Association for Psychological Science
convention in Barcelona, Spain, expanding connections with international scholars
and identifying opportunities for multisite studies, publications and grant proposals
while bringing new research approaches and professional-development insights back
to students and researchers in UH’s RESTORE Laboratory.
Dr. Aman Gebru, UH Law Center
Dr. Aman Gebru presented intellectual property research at the annual congress of
the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual
Property and an ISHTIP workshop hosted by the University of São Paulo Law School in
Brazil, building relationships for research collaboration, guest lectures and future
global programming at the UH Law Center.
Dr. Norah Gharala, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Norah Gharala hosted Dr. Joppan George, a fellow at the Smithsonian’s National
Air and Space Museum, for the public lecture Airborne Colony on ballooning and early
aviation in South Asia, connecting humanities and STEM perspectives at UH and creating
opportunities for interdisciplinary student discussion.
Dr. Stella Grigorian, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Social
Sciences
Dr. Stella Grigorian advanced UH’s COIL partnerships in Armenia by presenting UH–Yerevan
State University collaboration at an international conference and meeting faculty
and students at Yerevan State University, Armenian State Pedagogical University and
the American University of Armenia to expand virtual exchange and learning abroad
opportunities.
Dr. Olivia Johnson, Department of Human Development and Consumer Sciences, Cullen
College of Engineering
Dr. Olivia Johnson presented research at the Social Media and Society Conference in
Glasgow, Scotland, connecting with international scholars studying social media’s
effects on society, bringing emerging research insights back to UH and exploring the
possibility of hosting a future edition of the conference on campus.
Dr. Saleha Khumawala, Department of Management and Leadership, C. T. Bauer College
of Business
Dr. Saleha Khumawala presented the SURE Experiential Learning Model at Applied Science
Private University, Al Hussein Technical University, Hashemite University and Jordan
University of Science and Technology, expanding UH’s educational and research relationships
in Jordan and creating pathways for future collaborative initiatives.
Dr. Rex Koontz, School of Art, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
Dr. Rex Koontz completed a site visit for Experiential Art History in France, meeting
faculty and staff at Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers and evaluating museums
and cultural sites in Angers and Paris while exploring faculty-led courses, team teaching
and other experiential learning opportunities for UH students.
Dr. Yoonjung Park, Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Liberal Arts and
Social Sciences
Dr. Yoonjung Park advanced research and exchange partnerships with Woosong University,
Jeonbuk National University, Gangneung–Wonju National University and Kyonggi University
in South Korea, moving forward a proposed global track in physical therapy and kinesiology,
student and faculty exchanges, joint publications and future grant proposals.
Dr. Mim Rahimi, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College
of Engineering
Dr. Mim Rahimi developed UK–UH climate partnerships with the University of Cambridge
and Imperial College London, sharing research on electrochemical carbon capture and
climate-relevant separations while identifying next steps for a joint publication,
international grant proposals, seminar exchanges and a potential UH learning abroad
program focused on energy transition.
Dr. Damjan Rakonjac, Moores School of Music, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts
Dr. Damjan Rakonjac organized the international conference Resounding Spaces: Global
Approaches to Music and Sound in Urban Contexts, bringing scholars together at UH
to examine music, sound and urban culture across global contexts while fostering cross-cultural
exchange and extending UH’s international scholarly profile through a planned edited
volume.
Dr. Samina Salim, Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College
of Pharmacy
Dr. Samina Salim advanced Caregiving Burden and Dementia: Causes, Consequences, and
Coping with UH institutional partner Aligarh Muslim University in India, examining
connections between chronic caregiving stress and dementia risk through Jawaharlal
Nehru Medical College Hospital’s AligsCare program while supporting joint research,
external grant development and future faculty and student exchanges.
Dr. Edward D. Scott Jr., Graduate College of Social Work
Dr. Edward D. Scott Jr. presented research on Black political mobilization at the
International Society of Political Psychology conference in Newcastle, United Kingdom,
gathering feedback for a scholarly publication and building international connections
that will inform UH teaching, future research and an emerging global health partnership
with the University of Ghana School of Medicine.
Dr. Debarati Sen, Department of Anthropology and Comparative Studies, College of Liberal Arts and
Social Sciences
Dr. Debarati Sen presented research on artificial intelligence, labor and reproductive
knowledge at a workshop hosted by SOAS University of London and conducted archival
research at the British Library, strengthening international scholarly connections
while bringing new material into UH courses and supporting future publications and
virtual student exchange.
Dr. Andrea Szabo, Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
Dr. Andrea Szabo hosted Professor Horacio Larreguy of the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de
México for seminars and discussions with UH Economics and Public Policy faculty and
students, bringing international expertise in political economy and development economics
to campus while opening possibilities for collaborative research, joint grant applications
and a future conference.
Dr. Oomman K. Varghese, Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
Dr. Oomman K. Varghese delivered invited talks on nanomaterials and sustainable energy
at events hosted by the University of Cologne, the German Aerospace Center and CIMTEC
in Italy, and visited the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
to pursue research collaborations, student exchanges, doctoral recruitment and renewal
of its partnership with UH Physics.