Ruben Zaiotti Joins CPD as 2026 Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy and USC Annenberg Master in Public Diplomacy program is pleased to welcome Ruben Zaiotti as the 2026 Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Public Diplomacy.  

Zaiotti is a full professor in the Political Science department at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is also the Director of the Jean Monnet European Union Centre of Excellence (JMEUCE). His main areas of interest are European Politics, public diplomacy, international security, migration, and social media. 

He is the author of books on the digital diplomacy of international organizations, migration policy, border control in Europe, language and politics. He has published articles for Review of International Studies, European Security, Journal of European Integration, Journal of Borderland Studies, International Journal of Refugee Law, Cultures & Conflicts.  

Zaiotti's research project as Canada Fulbright Chair in Public Diplomacy is titled “Public Diplomacy and the making of International Organizations’ Digital Identities."  The project explores the impact of social media on one of the major actors in international affairs, International Organizations (IOs). To address this subject, the project applies theoretical insights from Social Identity Theory and works in political science, anthropology and communication studies that have emphasized the role that "digital rituals" play in structuring social and political dynamics, using the European Union and the United Nations as case studies.

See a list of previous Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chairs in Public Diplomacy here.

About the Fulbright Program

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government's flagship educational and cultural exchange program signed into law by U.S. President Harry S. Truman on August 1, 1946. For 75 years, Fulbright has been a mainstay of U.S. public diplomacy, strengthening binational relationships, enhancing mutual understanding and forging lasting connections. Today, Fulbright is a global public sector—private sector partnership dedicated to supporting the best and the brightest by offering exchange opportunities for dynamic and accomplished students, scholars, artists, teachers, and professionals of all backgrounds. Learn how Fulbright is celebrating its legacy of global connections and alumni impact here.

About the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Public Diplomacy

Supported by Foreign Affairs Canada and the United States Department of State since 2005, the Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program promotes a deeper and more nuanced knowledge of Canada-U.S. relations and builds mutual understanding between the two countries through high-level academic exchange. The Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at CPD is designed to strengthen binational collaborative research on issues relevant to Canada, the United States, and the relationship between the two countries. For more information, visit the Fulbright Canada website here.