91ÊÓƵ

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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

The profiles below highlight each recipient’s department, project, and UH impact. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
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2025–26 GFDF Awardees:

Dr. Justin Burris, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Carol Cooper, Honors College &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Guillermo de los Reyes, Department of Hispanic Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Lorra Garey, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Aman Gebru, UH Law Center &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Norah Gharala, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Stella Grigorian, Department of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Olivia Johnson, Department of Human Development and Consumer Sciences, Cullen College of Engineering &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Saleha Khumawala, Department of Management and Leadership, C. T. Bauer College of Business &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Rex Koontz, School of Art, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Yoonjung Park, Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Mim Rahimi, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cullen College of Engineering &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Damjan Rakonjac, Moores School of Music, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Samina Salim, Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Edward D. Scott Jr., Graduate College of Social Work &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Debarati Sen, Department of Anthropology and Comparative Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Andrea Szabo, Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;

Dr. Oomman K. Varghese, Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
 
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. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;