Pair of Villanova Engineering Professors Receive Prestigious U.S. Fulbright Scholar Awards

VILLANOVA, Pa.--Villanova University professors of Electrical and Computer Engineering, James Peyton Jones, PhD and Pritpal Singh, PhD, have been selected to receive U.S. Fulbright Scholar grants by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. The two professors have dedicated their careers to humanitarian engineering and will expand their efforts during the 2022-2023 academic year as Fulbright Scholars. Peyton Jones will teach and conduct research in Morocco this fall, while Singh will spend three months teaching in Ecuador in the Spring of 2023.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers awards to college and university faculty to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects in more than 135 countries around the world. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

Peyton Jones’ fellowship will take him to Al Akhawayn University, where he’ll teach embedded systems and the Internet of Things. He will apply this teaching to water-resources monitoring, a major issue in Morocco.

“I always love going to new countries and connecting with new people,” he said. “I’m excited about connecting with the academic community at al Akhawayn and forming partnerships on this important project.”

Singh’s Fulbright will take him to Ecuador, where he will partner with the University Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL), teaching a course on the implementation and commercialization of sustainability-focused technologies. Singh will also research the potential of renewable energy on the Galapagos Islands.

“I just want to see people who are in underserved conditions, and who haven’t had the privileges and opportunities that I’ve had, have a better quality of life,” he said. “That’s what drives me there.”

Both professors have worked with these universities in the past and, through these Fulbright awards, will continue to bring their knowledge from abroad back to Villanova.

“We are excited about the Fulbright fellowship opportunities for Drs. Peyton Jones and Singh,” said Michele Marcolongo, PhD, Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering. “These are important opportunities for the exchange of ideas globally, and their experiences will further enrich our engineering community at Villanova.”

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.