J. Chris Bachman, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Cal State LA, has been selected for a 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to Mexico.
This prestigious fellowship will support Bachman’s efforts to build on the cross-border academic partnership between Cal State LA and the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana (UABC Tijuana). The initiative aims to advance engineering education and foster collaboration between the California State University system and UABC in Baja California, Mexico.
As a Fulbright scholar, Bachman will bring his expertise to UABC Tijuana from August 2025 to January 2026. During his time there, 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 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, a resident of Alhambra. “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.”
The collaboration is rooted in shared values. Both Cal State LA and UABC Tijuana are public institutions serving diverse communities and are located in dynamic industrial regions with robust automotive sectors. A formal memorandum of understanding, signed in 2024, laid the foundation for this partnership.
As part of his Fulbright work, Bachman will facilitate inter-campus seminars, promote international exchange among students and faculty, and help prepare UABC’s student team for an international electric vehicle design competition. 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.
He currently serves as chair of the Southern California Section of SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) and has received numerous awards for teaching and service, including the university’s Outstanding Professor Award in 2023. He earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ECST Dean Nancy Warter-Perez shared that the college is excited about Bachman’s selection as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Mexico and the opportunities it brings for international collaboration.
“Since joining our faculty in 2017, Chris has had a tremendous impact on our students and college through his research, mentoring, and commitment to student and community engagement,” she said. “We are very proud of his accomplishments and this wonderful opportunity for him to collaborate with colleagues in Mexico on research, innovative pedagogy, and mentoring student organizations advancing automotive engineering and design. We look forward to deepening our collaborations with Universidad Autónoma de Baja California in Tijuana.”
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
In the United States, the Institute of International Education administers the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org.
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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.
