Dr. Arturo Pacheco-Vega Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
Dr. Arturo Pacheco-Vega, a professor of mechanical engineering at Cal State LA, has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to teach and conduct research in the Czech Republic during the 2025-26 academic year.
As a Fulbright scholar, Dr. Pacheco-Vega will be based at the Czech Technical University in Prague, working in collaboration with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (Department of Environmental Engineering). 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 an Azusa resident. “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.”
Dr. 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 the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST) at Cal State LA in 2008, Dr. 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 (CATSUS), and director of the Sikand Center for Sustainable and Intelligent Infrastructure.
He previously served as principal investigator and director of the CREST Center for Energy and Sustainability from 2017 to 2022. As a recipient of Cal State LA’s 2017 Outstanding Professor Award, he has mentored more than 80 undergraduate and graduate students and led or contributed to over $17.5 million in externally funded research projects.
Dr. Pacheco-Vega is one of more than 800 U.S. scholars selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2025-26. Fulbright scholars engage in impactful international collaboration, expand their professional networks, and often establish enduring partnerships between institutions.
“Arturo’s research and leadership in the areas of energy and sustainability have helped advance the field and transform the research culture within our college,” said ECST Dean Nancy Warter-Perez. “We are very proud of Arturo’s accomplishments and supportive of this wonderful opportunity for him to teach and conduct research with notable scholars in the Czech Republic.”
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 contribute to the program, which operates in over 160 countries. In the U.S., the Institute of International Education administers the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. For more information, visit the Fulbright program website.