Lecturer in Communications becomes our first first Fulbright Global Challenges Teaching Award recipient
Kellie Daniels, Lecturer in Communications has been awarded the Fulbright US UK Global Challenges Teaching Award, becoming the first Newcastle University academic to receive the international award.
9 October 2026
Kellie Daniels, Lecturer in Communications in the School of Arts and Cultures and founder of the United Nations partner initiative Students Against Species Extinction (SASE), has been awarded the highly competitive Fulbright US UK Global Challenges Teaching Award.
In doing so Kellie becomes the first Newcastle University academic to receive the international award.
Delivered by the US UK Fulbright Commission in partnership with the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the award recognises educators who are transforming higher education through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL).
This enables students to work across international borders to address some of the world's most pressing global challenges.
The Fulbright Global Challenges Teaching Award is one of Fulbright's flagship international programmes, recognising exceptional educators who are advancing innovation in higher education through global collaboration, international partnership and transformative teaching.
Kellie is the first member of staff from Newcastle University to be selected as a Fulbright Global Challenges Teaching Award recipient, marking an important milestone in the University's growing international education profile.
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Developing an innovative transatlantic teaching partnership
Following the competitive selection process, Kellie was chosen to develop an innovative transatlantic teaching partnership focused on environmental communication and global sustainability.
As part of the programme, she has been partnered with Jacob Napieralski from the University of Michigan Dearborn, where the pair will co design an international learning experience connecting students from both institutions through authentic challenge-based learning.
While this award will create exceptional opportunities for our students to collaborate with peers in the United States on real world global challenges, I believe its greatest impact will extend far beyond a single module.
The collaboration will allow students in the United Kingdom and the United States to work together on real world environmental issues while developing the intercultural, digital and professional skills increasingly valued by employers.
More significantly, the project will establish a framework that can be adapted across disciplines, creating new opportunities for globally connected learning throughout Newcastle University.
The project has received extensive institutional support across Newcastle University. In supporting the application, Professor Jo Fox, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, highlighted the project's potential to create a scalable model for Collaborative Online International Learning that aligns with the University's strategic ambitions for curriculum transformation, internationalisation and globally connected education.
Speaking about receiving the award, Kellie said:
"While this award will create exceptional opportunities for our students to collaborate with peers in the United States on real world global challenges, I believe its greatest impact will extend far beyond a single module.
With the incredible institutional support from colleagues across Newcastle University and our partners in the United States, we have a unique opportunity to develop, evaluate and embed a scalable model for Collaborative Online International Learning across the University.
My ambition is to help establish Newcastle University as a sector leader in globally connected education, creating richer international learning experiences for our students, strengthening global partnerships and enhancing the University's reputation as an institution where innovation in teaching has real world impact."
Bringing together educators, learning designers and international education specialists
The Fulbright programme will bring together educators, learning designers and international education specialists from both sides of the Atlantic through an intensive programme of professional development, institutional mentoring and collaborative curriculum design.
Working alongside colleagues at the University of Michigan Dearborn, Newcastle University will develop an evidence-based approach to globally connected learning that can inform future teaching and partnership development across the institution.
As Newcastle University continues to strengthen its international education strategy, the project represents more than an individual achievement.
As the University's first Fulbright Global Challenges Teaching Award recipient, the initiative provides an opportunity to embed Collaborative Online International Learning across disciplines, expand international partnerships and create richer global learning experiences for students.