Morocco welcomes 24 U.S. Fulbright grantees for research and teaching in 2026-2027

Wednesday 16 September 2026 - 22:45

A new Fulbright cohort arrives in Morocco

Twenty-four U.S. Fulbright grantees have begun their 2026-2027 academic year in Morocco, launching a program that will combine university teaching, field research and cultural exchange across several regions of the country.

The new cohort was welcomed in early September by the Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange (MACECE) and the U.S. Embassy in Rabat. The participants began with an orientation program in Rabat, while the English Teaching Assistants received additional preparation for their work within Morocco's higher-education system.

The group brings together six U.S. Student Researchers, five scholars, 12 English Teaching Assistants and one participant in the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching program. Their assignments extend well beyond the capital, placing academic exchange at the intersection of research, education and local communities.

Research projects span heritage, society and technology

For the six student researchers, Morocco will serve as both a research environment and a source of field-based study.

Their projects address subjects ranging from Amazigh representation in Moroccan cinema in Ouarzazate to the experiences of Muslim families born in France who have settled in Meknès. Other research will examine sustainable tourism models around kasbahs and ksour in the Souss-Massa and Drâa-Tafilalet regions.

The cohort's research agenda also extends into historical and cultural preservation. Projects include work on late-medieval Maghrebi manuscripts, traditional knowledge held by Amazigh women involved in saffron production near Taliouine, and the use of participatory artificial intelligence tools to support heritage reconstruction in High Atlas communities affected by the 2023 earthquake.

The range of subjects reflects the breadth of the Fulbright program in Morocco, where field research can connect academic disciplines with cultural institutions and communities. MACECE's Fulbright research framework specifically supports projects involving fieldwork and research in areas relevant to Morocco-U.S. relations.

Artificial intelligence enters the classroom

Artificial intelligence is also emerging as a recurring theme among the new cohort's academic assignments.

One scholar will work on AI applications in education at Abdelmalek Essaâdi University in Tangier, while another project at Mohammed V University in Rabat focuses on the use of AI in physics education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Other academic work will examine urban and landscape research along the Bouregreg at the National School of Architecture in Rabat. A separate project involving Rabat Genizah, Ibn Zohr University and the Museum of Moroccan Judaism will focus on the digital preservation of Moroccan Jewish heritage.

At Moulay Ismaïl University in Meknès, another researcher will explore the relationship between the Quran and human senses.

English teaching across Moroccan universities

The 12 English Teaching Assistants will be distributed among universities in a broad range of Moroccan cities.

Two will be based in Marrakech, while others are scheduled to work in Salé, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Tétouan, Fès, Oujda, El Jadida, Safi, Essaouira, Berrechid and Ouarzazate.

The Fulbright ETA program is designed to support English-language instruction at Moroccan public universities while giving participants opportunities for intercultural engagement and academic research.

The 2026-2027 cohort also includes an American primary-school teacher examining how Eco-Schools programs can contribute to sustainability education in Moroccan schools serving both rural and urban communities.

An exchange moving in both directions

The arrival of the U.S. grantees coincides with another phase of the academic exchange between Morocco and the United States.

Nearly 50 Moroccan Fulbright participants are heading to the United States during the same academic year for master's studies, doctoral and postdoctoral research, Arabic teaching and professional-development programs. A ceremony held in Rabat in July brought together Moroccan beneficiaries of the 2026-2027 Fulbright program, U.S. Embassy representatives and MACECE officials.

The two-way movement illustrates the broader structure of the Fulbright relationship: American participants conduct research and teach in Morocco, while Moroccan scholars and students pursue academic and professional opportunities in the United States.

As the 24 American grantees move from their initial orientation in Rabat into universities, research sites and communities across the country, their projects will bring together themes ranging from artificial intelligence and education to Amazigh heritage, sustainable tourism and the digital preservation of cultural history.