Ulster University Senior Lecturer Dr Paul Joseph-Richard named Fulbright UK Scholar for 2026-27

Ulster University Senior Lecturer Dr Paul Joseph-Richard has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for his outstanding contributions to teaching and research.

The US-UK Fulbright Programme is an international education and exchange initiative that enables students, academics, and professionals to study, research, and teach at accredited higher education institutions in the United States. Regarded as one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world, the programme unites diverse international perspectives to advance knowledge that tackles shared global challenges.

Awarded by the US-UK Fulbright Commission, Dr Paul Joseph‑Richard, a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, is one of eight Fulbright UK Scholar Award Grantees for 2026-27.

A Chartered Coaching Psychologist of the BPS, and a National Teaching Fellow (2023), Paul’s expertise focuses on leadership development, inclusive education, disability inclusion, research-informed teaching, and qualitative research methods. He is dedicated to developing strategies for fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in leadership teams and workplaces, as well as supporting students with hidden disabilities to build employability skills and secure meaningful work placements.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Paul will complete his residency at Rutgers University–Newark, New Jersey to address global challenges in inclusive higher education. During his tenure at Rutgers University–Newark, Paul will explore how urban universities sustain doctoral wellbeing and empower "at-promise" students through community-engaged teaching and learning.

His collaborative residency focuses on three core pillars: investigating how supervisory feedback shapes doctoral researcher wellbeing within a diverse urban context; partnering with local civic groups to deliver employability workshops and career coaching for students with disabilities; and delivering advanced postgraduate courses on action research and ethical AI.

Reflecting on the achievement, Dr Paul Joseph-Richard said:

“I feel deeply humbled to be given such an extraordinary opportunity to undertake this collaborative research in the US. I am genuinely looking forward to integrating myself into the academic and local community at Rutgers–Newark, while experiencing all the rich culture that the region has to offer. I sincerely thank Dr Mary Boyd, Dr Darryl Cummins, Professor Janet McCray, and Nancy Brown, whose support, advice, and encouragement contributed to this achievement.

“In line with Ulster University Business School’s vision to deliver transformative education and drive meaningful civic engagement, I look forward to bringing these shared insights back to enrich our students, colleagues, and wider ecosystem.”

The US-UK Fulbright Commission was founded by diplomatic treaty in 1948 to foster intercultural understanding between the USA and the UK through educational exchange. In the UK alone, the Fulbright Commission has facilitated over 27,000 educational exchanges, many of whom would not otherwise have had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and expertise internationally.