Three international students and scholars are joining the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) this fall through the Fulbright Program, bringing expertise in public health, social entrepreneurship and neuroscience.
The Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State’s flagship international exchange program, provides opportunities for students and scholars to conduct research, study and teach across borders. At UAB, the program supports international exchange while also connecting members of the UAB community with opportunities to pursue research, teaching and academic experiences abroad.
For the 2026 Fulbrighters, coming to UAB represents more than an opportunity to advance their academic work. It is an opportunity to become part of a new community. Meet the 2026 cohort:
Sopanit Mab
For Sopanit Mab, a Fulbrighter from Cambodia, pursuing higher education in the United States has been a longtime dream.
“Fulbright offers more than just the means to study abroad; it also provides a global community for all Fulbrighters to build connections and establish collaboration with distinguished individuals from every part of the world,” Mab said.
Mab chose UAB because of its strong public health program and the opportunities it provides to engage with diverse communities both inside and outside the classroom. Although Mab recently began the program, the experience has already made an impression.
“I have met some of the most incredible individuals who went above and beyond to make me feel included and made sure that I have all the support I need as I am navigating this new journey,” Mab said.
Mab hopes to take advantage of UAB’s resources and opportunities while building a network that will support future academic and professional work. Ultimately, Mab hopes the experience will lead to work that continues to benefit communities.
Artem Kornetskyy
For Artem Kornetskyy, PhD, the Fulbright experience at UAB represents the continuation of a relationship that has already shaped much of his academic career.
Kornetskyy is an associate professor in the Department of Management and Organizational Development at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. He also co-founded and leads the NGO School of Mindful Entrepreneurship and co-founded the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund.
His academic and professional work focuses on social entrepreneurship — the intersection of business and social impact.
His path to UAB began with another Fulbright experience. In 2015-16, Kornetskyy traveled to DePaul University in Chicago through the Fulbright Faculty Development Program, where he worked with Dr. Patrick J. Murphy. Murphy is now the Goodrich Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UAB’s Collat School of Business.
That collaboration eventually developed into years of research, teaching and professional partnership.
“When I explain social entrepreneurship, I am usually speaking to people who arrived at it through necessity,” Kornetskyy said, describing his work in Ukraine. “In the United States the same idea sits inside a field of options, one legitimate path among many for someone deciding what to do with a career.”
At UAB, Kornetskyy will compare social entrepreneurship ecosystems in the United States and Ukraine. His work includes examining Alabama’s legal framework for social ventures, visiting and interviewing Birmingham-area social entrepreneurs, and participating in teaching and workshops at UAB.
He hopes the experience will inform recommendations for Ukraine and contribute to the development of social entrepreneurship there.
Yaël Mazin
For Yaël Mazin, a PhD student from Université Grenoble Alpes in Grenoble, France, the Fulbright experience provides an opportunity to collect rare research data while working within a new scientific and cultural environment.
Mazin's research investigates whether perceptual, specifically auditory, consciousness can occur during sleep. The research uses intracranial electrophysiology, a method that allows researchers to examine brain activity at a detailed level.
Mazin previously earned a master's degree in cognitive science, with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience, and studied visual conscious perception using a no-report paradigm.
The opportunity to work with rare data from patients with thalamic implants and microelectrodes was a major factor in Mazin's decision to pursue the Fulbright experience at UAB.
“I hope to acquire more knowledge in my research field and the experimental environment,” Mazin said, “but more broadly, to explore new perspectives and ways of living that expand my worldview.”
At UAB, Mazin is working with researchers in an environment that combines epilepsy patients, electrophysiology and neuroscience research. The experience will allow Mazin to continue work on the main research project while also developing a new project examining corticothalamic connectivity during wakefulness, sleep and anesthesia.
Mazin says the experience is about more than the data.
“I am excited about learning new things in general, meeting new people that have different perspectives,” Mazin said. “While it can be a challenge, it is also about the opportunity to collect data in a new environment and being part of a new team.”
Mazin hopes to bring the perspectives gained through the experience back to France — along with the everyday experiences that make an international exchange meaningful.
Serving the global community
The arrival of Mab, Kornetskyy and Mazin reflects the enduring global reach of the Fulbright Program. Since its founding, nearly 450,000 students, scholars and professionals have participated in Fulbright exchanges, helping advance research, foster cultural understanding and strengthen international collaboration.
As members of the 2026 Fulbright cohort, Mab, Kornetskyy and Mazin join that global network while contributing their own perspectives and expertise to the UAB community. UAB’s connection to Fulbright also extends beyond students and scholars coming to campus. Sydney Sneed, a 2022 UAB graduate, was recently awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico, where she now supports English instruction and cultural exchange while gaining a deeper understanding of educational experiences among English learners.
Together, these students, scholars and alumni represent the two-way exchange at the heart of Fulbright - bringing international perspectives to UAB while giving members of the UAB community opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences abroad.