J. Chris Bachman, Arturo Pacheco-Vega, and Olaseni “Seni”Sode are poised to expand Cal State LA’s influence and impact across borders. The trio has been chosen to represent the University as 2025-26 Fulbright Scholars, providing each faculty member a platform to engage in impactful international collaboration, expand their professional networks, and establish enduring partnerships between institutions.
Fulbright, a program of the U.S. Department of State, encourages collaboration between participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world. It operates in more than 160 countries.
J. Chris Bachman, associate professor of mechanical engineering
Photo: J. Chris Bachman, who specializes in battery technology and experiential engineering education, is bringing his expertise to the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana, Mexico.
Bachman will bring his expertise to Mexico’s Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana (UABC Tijuana), where
he will teach courses in human-centered design and automotive engineering, mentor the university’s Formula SAE student team, and lead faculty workshops on project-based and asset-based pedagogies. He will also collaborate with UABC Tijuana faculty and students on research in sustainable automotive technologies.
“This project creates a long-term bridge between two institutions that share a mission of advancing opportunity through accessible, high-impact education,” said Bachman. “It’s an opportunity not only to support student success and research in Mexico, but also
to deepen Cal State LA’s ability to serve our Hispanic and first-generation students.”
Both Cal State LA and UABC Tijuana are public institutions serving diverse communities and are located in dynamic industrial regions with robust automotive sectors.
His project is expected to pave the way for future research collaborations, student exchanges, and broader engagement between academic and industry communities in Baja California and Southern California.
Bachman is a nationally recognized educator and researcher specializing in battery technology and experiential engineering education. He leads Cal State LA’s Sustainable Technology Lab and has been instrumental in developing the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology’s (ECST) makerspace and engineering outreach programs.
Arturo Pacheco-Vega, professor of mechanical engineering
Photo: Arturo Pacheco-Vega’s work with the Czech Technical University in Prague will focus on fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermal/energy systems.
Pacheco-Vega will be based at the Czech Technical University in Prague, working in collaboration with the University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings. His project will focus on the development of advanced thermo-fluids models and AI- informed simulation methods to improve energy efficiency in multiroom building systems. This research addresses critical global sustainability challenges by exploring novel approaches to optimizing energy use in the built environment.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as a Fulbright Scholar,” said Pacheco-Vega. “This award will allow me to strengthen academic and research partnerships between Cal State LA and Czech Technical University, contribute to solutions for global energy challenges, and serve as a cultural and scientific ambassador for the United States.”
Pacheco-Vega’s research centers on fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermal/energy systems. His work integrates analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques to model and optimize sustainable systems. He is widely recognized for his contributions to soft computing, system optimization, and heat transfer enhancement.
Since joining ECST in 2008, Pacheco-Vega has played a transformative role in research and mentorship. He currently serves as the ECST faculty director of research, director of
the National Science Foundation-funded CREST Center for Advancement toward Sustainable Urban Systems, and director of the Sikand Center for Sustainable and Intelligent Infrastructure.
Olaseni “Seni” Sode, associate professor of chemistry
Photo: Olaseni "Seni" Sode's project will focus on applying artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to better understand how atoms vibrate inside materials with important technological uses.
Olaseni “Seni” Sode will spend six months in Grenoble, France, at the Institut Néel, a national research laboratory of the French National Centre for Scientific Research for fundamental research in condensed matter physics.
Sode will collaborate with Andrés Cano’s Condensed Matter Theory group and colleagues at CEA, which is the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. His project will focus on applying artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to better understand how atoms vibrate inside materials with important technological uses, such as oxides and superconductors.
“This Fulbright award lets us exchange ideas and resources between Cal State LA and Grenoble, so that both communities benefit long after the visit ends,” said Sode. “Having studied
in Nantes and Toulouse and given research talks in Grenoble, returning to France feels like coming full circle.”
Sode’s research bridges computational chemistry and condensed-matter theory. He began his professional career at the University of Tampa before joining the College of Natural and Social Sciences in 2018.
Supported by the National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund, his work focuses on ab initio electronic and vibrational structure methods and the development of model potentials, including fragmentation-based approaches, for condensed-phase systems.