Erik Andersen and Cynthia Wang receive Fulbright awards

Northwestern University professors Erik Andersen and Cynthia Wang each have received an award under the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program that will enable them to take their research abroad, forge new relationships and contribute to finding solutions to challenges both local and global.

Andersen was awarded a Global Scholar Award, which funds travel and research in three different countries for a total of six months. Wang was awarded a Scholar Award in research, which will support her for six months conducting research in Asia. 

Andersen, of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, is a molecular geneticist who studies the molecular mechanisms of natural variation. Wang, of the Kellogg School of Management, is an expert in dispute resolution and negotiations.

Fulbright award recipients are chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential. Andersen and Wang are among more than 800 U.S. scholars, artists and professionals from all backgrounds who will spend time abroad for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Erik Andersen

Andersen is a professor of molecular biosciences at Weinberg College. His research laboratory studies the genetics and genomics of adaptation of nematodes (or roundworms) to the environment. These worms are prevalent in all ecosystems and can be used to understand the effects of climate change when sampled over time. Andersen’s group has pioneered methods for isolation of thousands of nematode strains from nature.

In New Zealand, Andersen will collect nematodes from a variety of climates throughout the two major islands. This research will focus on how nematodes disperse in natural environments. In Taiwan, he will collect nematodes and fungi that eat nematodes. The project will focus on predatory-prey relationships between fungi and nematodes. In Chile, Andersen will collect nematodes and the bacteria found in the niche around the worms. This work will focus on the effects of the microbiome (associated bacteria) on growth, physiology and behavior.  

“Selection as a Fulbright Global Scholar gives me unparalleled access and opportunity to learn about nematode evolution,” Andersen said.

Cynthia Wang

Wang is a clinical professor of management and organizations at Kellogg. Her research focuses on intergroup relations or how people who are in different social groups perceive and behave towards one another. Under this umbrella, Wang examines topics such as cultural and social diversity, conspiratorial perceptions and negotiations. An ongoing line of her research examines how to reduce social bias. 

Activists within social movements constantly negotiate on behalf of their cause. Wang will spend six months in Taiwan examining two research questions: How do negotiations function within social movements? How does culture affect negotiation attitudes, beliefs and strategies used by social movement activists? The resulting insights will be available to policymakers, organizational leaders and activists to stimulate productive dialogue and negotiations, engage with social movements and build lasting change within social and cultural contexts.

“This is an incredible honor,” Wang said. “As we’ve all learned over the last few years, nothing can replace the nuance and experience of being physically present somewhere. The connections I will be able to make in Taiwan will be invaluable.”