The University of Iowa is excited to announce that Jerry Anthony, an associate professor of planning and public affairs, has been selected for a Fulbright Scholar Award in India for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Anthony is one of more than 800 U.S. professionals, artists, and scholars who will travel abroad this year through the Fulbright Scholar Program, a prestigious and competitive fellowship that helps in supporting research opportunities and establishing long-term relationships between people and nations. 

Anthony will spend the spring and summer semesters of 2023 in India, researching sustainable urbanism as a Fulbright-Kalam Climate Studies Scholar. Affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India's premier higher education institute, Anthony will conduct in-depth research on cities that have adopted urban development policies that reduce city-scale carbon footprints, decrease dependence on non-renewable resources, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. He will also deliver lectures at several Indian universities on the links between climate change and urbanism.

“Cities are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming,” says Anthony. “Fortunately, cities are better resourced financially than rural areas, bringing together people with varied skills, and are crucibles for innovation.  Many scholars believe that the war to stave off catastrophic climate change will be won or lost in cities.”

Much of the world’s urban population lives in the Global South, where cities are expanding rapidly.  Anthony sees Indian cities as a place that may provide valuable insights for the rest of the growing world.

“India is currently experiencing a profound demographic shift from being a majority rural nation to one where over 50% of the population will, by 2040, be living in urban areas.  So Indian cities provide an excellent opportunity at this point in human history to assess the climate change mitigating effects of sustainable urbanism,” says Anthony.

After his return to campus, Anthony not only hopes his work will influence policies and strategies to help make U.S. cities develop more sustainably, but also help him inspire the next generation.   

"My work with the Fulbright grant will add a significant international dimension to my research and teaching back on campus."

“I teach two graduate courses and one undergraduate course on sustainable development, and a study abroad course on urban sustainability,” says Anthony. “My work with the Fulbright grant will add a significant international dimension to my research and teaching back on campus. Innovative advances in improving the quality of life of city dwellers are happening in Indian cities -- information about those advances may well inspire students and faculty on campus in their careers. This award will also help me deepen research collaborations with researchers in India and connect Indian researchers with colleagues on campus.”  

UI faculty and students have enjoyed considerable success in the Fulbright Scholar and U.S. Student Programs for many years. According to Anthony, one of the significant reasons for this is the expertise and support provided by staff at UI International Programs, and the fact that a growing number of faculty Fulbright alumni on campus are willing to offer advice through the application process and beyond.  

Like other competitive grants, the Fulbright application process can be intimidating; however, in the end Anthony found the process a welcome opportunity for reflection.

“The numerous short essays in the application prompted me to reflect on my career and future research and teaching plans, and in that sense, preparing the application was very useful to me regardless of the outcome,” says Anthony.

Learn more about the UI resources for applying to the Fulbright Program

This year marks the 76th anniversary of the Fulbright Program, which has given more than 400,000 participants the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. 

University faculty members at all stages of their careers can apply to become Fulbright Scholars or Fulbright Specialists. Grant recipients can teach, do research abroad, or a combination of both for flexible time periods ranging from two to six weeks to a semester or an entire academic year.