Rowan University graduate selected for prestigious Fulbright Research Award
Rowan University graduate selected for prestigious Fulbright Research Award
June 20, 2025
Matthew Conway will work on research in Chile before beginning his doctoral studies.
Matthew Conway, a Rowan University Class of 2025 graduate and member of the John H. Martinson Honors College, has been selected to receive the prestigious Fulbright Research Award to Chile for 2025-2026. A double major in chemical engineering and Spanish, Conway will spend nine months abroad contributing to research on Atlantic salmon fisheries.
The Haddon Township resident will join the team of Joel Barraza Soto, an aquaculture professor at Universidad Católica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. Conway was chosen to assist in work to improve the treatment of aquaculture wastewater before its release into local waterways.
Notified by email in May that he was selected to receive the highly competitive award, Conway said he was grateful “for the many mentors I've had throughout my undergraduate career and especially those who helped me with my application.” He has opted to postpone his doctoral studies in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“It’s exciting because it’s a new field for me,” Conway said, “but also because I’m excited to go and see different parts of the world—not just to visit but also to work and see what the culture is like.”
Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the mission of the Fulbright program is to build diplomacy and connections between citizens of the United States and other countries, said Seran Schug, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and coordinator of national scholarships and fellowships. The scholarship program is designed to create long-lasting relationships between U.S. leaders, diplomats and scholars with their counterparts from around the world.
Securing a Fulbright for research is “incredibly hard,” Schug said. Applicants endure a monthslong process, including a rigorous interview with campus scholars and subject matter experts and subsequent review by a national commission.
According to Schug, “It’s very impressive that a student gets an award to do research right out of undergraduate school. This demonstrates the commission’s confidence in Matt’s maturity and ability to carry out a complicated and impactful science project as well as develop meaningful relationships with his host community.”
As an undergraduate, Conway won the Goldwater Scholarship and multiple research awards. He also served as a mentor for incoming students as a part of the Bantivoglio Leadership and Service Training program in the Martinson Honors College. Additionally, Conway was selected by Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering to represent his class during Commencement, and was named the Senior of Distinction for Spanish by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. He was introduced to Barraza Soto by his former engineering professor, Zenaida Gephardt, Ph.D.
“When I’m in research in grad school and in my career beyond that, I will have had these experiences that a lot of other people won’t,” said Conway. “I’ll have a different perspective. I think that’s the whole point of the Fulbright. It’s this cultural exchange, where we are sending our own culture, practices, work ethic and experience abroad, but we’re returning with the best aspects of other cultures with us.”
The Haddon Township resident will join the team of Joel Barraza Soto, an aquaculture professor at Universidad Católica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. Conway was chosen to assist in work to improve the treatment of aquaculture wastewater before its release into local waterways.
Notified by email in May that he was selected to receive the highly competitive award, Conway said he was grateful “for the many mentors I've had throughout my undergraduate career and especially those who helped me with my application.” He has opted to postpone his doctoral studies in chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“It’s exciting because it’s a new field for me,” Conway said, “but also because I’m excited to go and see different parts of the world—not just to visit but also to work and see what the culture is like.”
Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the mission of the Fulbright program is to build diplomacy and connections between citizens of the United States and other countries, said Seran Schug, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology and coordinator of national scholarships and fellowships. The scholarship program is designed to create long-lasting relationships between U.S. leaders, diplomats and scholars with their counterparts from around the world.
Securing a Fulbright for research is “incredibly hard,” Schug said. Applicants endure a monthslong process, including a rigorous interview with campus scholars and subject matter experts and subsequent review by a national commission.
According to Schug, “It’s very impressive that a student gets an award to do research right out of undergraduate school. This demonstrates the commission’s confidence in Matt’s maturity and ability to carry out a complicated and impactful science project as well as develop meaningful relationships with his host community.”
As an undergraduate, Conway won the Goldwater Scholarship and multiple research awards. He also served as a mentor for incoming students as a part of the Bantivoglio Leadership and Service Training program in the Martinson Honors College. Additionally, Conway was selected by Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering to represent his class during Commencement, and was named the Senior of Distinction for Spanish by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. He was introduced to Barraza Soto by his former engineering professor, Zenaida Gephardt, Ph.D.
“When I’m in research in grad school and in my career beyond that, I will have had these experiences that a lot of other people won’t,” said Conway. “I’ll have a different perspective. I think that’s the whole point of the Fulbright. It’s this cultural exchange, where we are sending our own culture, practices, work ethic and experience abroad, but we’re returning with the best aspects of other cultures with us.”