Professor Radha Jagannathan has been selected as a 2026–2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar for India, according to a May 15 announcement. The award will support her efforts to collaborate with faculty at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, in expanding and adapting the Nurture thru Nature (NtN) program for Indian students.
The selection recognizes Jagannathan’s contributions in education, public policy, and community-based research. The Institute of International Education wrote to Dean Stuart Shapiro that the Fulbright Scholar Awards offer transformative opportunities for teaching, research, and long-term international collaboration.
Jagannathan co-founded and directed NtN in New Brunswick from 2009 to 2022 as a partnership among Rutgers University-New Brunswick, Johnson & Johnson, and the New Brunswick Public School District. The initiative introduced elementary school students to science and nature through hands-on activities such as organic gardens and butterfly habitats. Designed as a longitudinal randomized controlled trial, the program showed promising effects on cognitive and non-cognitive development; its results have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
According to the official website, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy operates within Rutgers University—the State University of New Jersey—and focuses on fostering just, socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and healthy communities at various levels. The school also advances social impact through research centers dedicated to community development, transportation, health, workforce development, and energy policy; it is nationally ranked third for its graduate urban planning program and fourth for its undergraduate public health program.
Stuart Shapiro became dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in 2023 according to the official website.
