A PROFESSOR of the Visayas State University was named one of this year’s Fulbright Foreign Student Program Scholars.

The scholarship program provides opportunities for Filipinos to study graduate-level degree or pursue non-degree doctoral dissertation research in the United States.

Prof. Ronald Arlet Pateriz Villaber, a faculty member of VSU Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, will pursue his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry at the University of Akron based in Ohio, USA in January 2021.

“The University of Akron is a STEM-focused university and has leading research in polymer science, advanced materials, and engineering, and has established partnerships with prominent manufacturing companies,” VSU said.

Villaber said that his research interest aligns with University of Akron’s well-renowned innovative research on advanced polymer and material science.

“That’s one of the reasons why Fulbright placed me at UAkron since I will be working on nanobiopolymers for my research. I will be exploring the potentials of different proteins and DNA origami, or a hybrid of both, which serve as nanocarriers for agricultural and biomedical applications,” Villaber explained.

“I am hoping that I can gain more knowledge and techniques in chemical research like in nanotechnology and biopolymer chemistry for agricultural and biomedical applications, which I can impart to my future students here in VSU upon my reinstatement. Acquiring such training and knowledge will surely help VSU to pursue advanced research in nanobiotechnology and agricultural chemistry,” he said.

The Fulbright Scholarship is one of the most prestigious and competitive study grants in the world with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.