Kimberley Lakes, PhD,  professor of clinical psychiatry and neuroscience at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, has been named recipient of a 2023-24 Fulbright Global Scholar Award.

The award allows U.S. scholars to propose research or combined teaching/research activity in two to three countries. Lakes' award will allow her to do research in Ireland and South Africa. Only up to 20 awards are presented each year.

"The Fulbright Global Scholar Award will allow me to build on existing research collaborations in Europe and in Africa," Lakes said. "For my work in Europe, my host institution is University College Dublin in Ireland. For my work in Africa, my host institution is the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. In multiple regions of the world, we are studying the many biopsychosocial factors affecting child neurodevelopment with a focus on informing policy on how to best support development with meaningful, impactful, and locally relevant early interventions."

Lakes is among over 800 U.S. citizens who will teach and/or conduct research abroad for the 2023-2024 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Fulbrighters engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Upon returning to their home countries, institutions, labs, and classrooms, they share their stories and often become active supporters of international exchange, inviting foreign scholars to campus and encouraging colleagues and students to go abroad. 

Notable Fulbright alumni include 62 Nobel Prize laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize recipients, 78 MacArthur Fellows, and 41 who have served as a head of state or government. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 400,000 participants from over 160 countries - chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential - with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world.

"This is truly outstanding news, though not surprising in light of her excellent work in relevant, timely, and urgent areas of need," said interim chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience Christopher Fichtner, MD.