Sharing Expertise Across Oceans and Mountains

The University of Pittsburgh’s Susheng Tan has received a Fulbright Specialist Program Award to collaborate with researchers at Navoi State University of Mining and Technology in Navoi, Uzbekistan. Tan, research associate professor in electrical and computer engineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, will help Uzbek scientists develop a strategic plan and standard operating guidelines for the university’s research equipment. 

“Last semester, with Professor Prashant Kumta, we mentored Dr. Okhunjon Sayfidinov, a visiting scholar from Navoi, who was supported by the American Councils for International Education,” said Tan. “Okhunjon and his colleagues are looking to expand their research capabilities at the university, and he had the opportunity to see how Pitt operates.  

“He was here with us for three months, and we did a lot of research work with the instruments in our facility. With the technology we have here and our staff, it was a productive time.” 

To expand the work started in the fall, Tan applied for and received the Fulbright Specialist Program Award, which promotes collaboration between scholars and institutions. Central to the Fulbright Program’s mission is bridging divides and fostering connections across the world—objectives that Tan values.  

For 16 years, he has supported hundreds of multidisciplinary research projects in nanoscience and engineering with the Nanoscale Fabrication and Characterization Facility, and he trains students on research using electron-beam-based and x-ray-based equipment and materials. His own research studying structures at the micro to atomic scale is highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, and he enjoys working with researchers in different fields, many from other countries. “By establishing broader connections and bringing together different voices,” said Tan, “you can amplify the impact of research.” 

Of this opportunity, Tan said, “It’s an honor to receive this award from such a prestigious organization. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of my colleagues and the resources that we have here at Pitt. I’m excited to learn more about their program and facility—and to bring what we have here and extend our impact.”