From Melbourne to Birmingham: What Five Months on a Fulbright Taught Me About Science, Place and People
When I boarded the plane to Birmingham, Alabama, I knew I was heading there to work on microbial biopolymers and a new class of nanoparticles for drug delivery. What I did not fully appreciate was how much the Fulbright would change me, not just my research.
The science came together at a pace I had not dared to plan for. Within weeks of arriving at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), I was moving between five different laboratories in a single working week. A Monday might begin formulating biopolymer nanoparticles in the School of Engineering, shift to biological assays in the Heersink School of Medicine Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, head to the Department of Biology to collect bacterial vesicles to image with the atomic force microscopy infrared microscope (AFM-IR), and end with members of the pulmonary team to look at microplastics in tissue samples. New collaborators said yes in days rather than months. Multiple cell models were tested. Two grant applications went out. Two conferences were attended, with five oral presentations disseminating our work across the USA. Multiple manuscripts began taking shape. The timing felt urgent, too. Soon after I arrived, lipid nanoparticles for cystic fibrosis mRNA delivery to the lung were being pulled back over cytotoxicity and inflammation concerns, and the biopolymer alternatives we were developing suddenly had a very real clinical gap to fill.
But if I am honest, the science is only half of what I will carry home, the other half is Birmingham itself. I went to basketball games and baseball games. I sat in the stands at a NASCAR race. I ate my way through more incredible Southern food than I can list, including shrimp and grits, sausage and biscuits, and the famous crawfish boil. I went to Nashville with colleagues and saw my first ice hockey game; an absolute highlight. I shared stories about chicken parmas and the eternal parma versus parmi debate, and was delighted to find Tim Tams and Bundaberg Ginger Beer already loved on Alabama supermarket shelves.
What made all of this possible was a small set of habits I leaned on from the moment I arrived: listen more than you speak, share generously where you come from, say yes to invitations, and refuse to arrive with assumptions. The American South carries a lot of external narratives, and Birmingham repaid every bit of openness I offered it with warmth, generosity and friendship. If you are ever headed down to Birmingham, make sure to check out the Civil Rights Institute, the McWane Science Center, and head to Bayonet for some amazing seafood!
Professionally, the Fulbright has accelerated my research, extended my network across continents, and sharpened my sense of where I want to take my work next. The polymer–lipid–biomedical interface that opened up at UAB will define a substantial part of my career from here. Attending the Spring 2026 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Seminar in Philadelphia reminded me, too, that this fellowship sits within a much larger global community of scholars, all of us trying to build bridges and impact through our work.
Personally, it has been the most formative chapter of my research life so far. I leave Birmingham with firm friendships, lasting collaborations, and a broader view of the world than I arrived. And importantly, with the quiet certainty that the best science happens when we let ourselves be changed by the places and people we work alongside.
