The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Through the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program (Fulbright S-I-R Program), U.S. colleges and universities collaborate with scholars from other countries to assist in internationalizing U.S. campuses, curriculum, and communities. Fulbright S-I-Rs teach primarily on the undergraduate level in their areas of expertise and provide a cross-cultural or international perspective to promote curriculum and program development.

Dr Zhao will be taking up residency at Utah Valley University, the biggest public university in Utah, from August 2023 to May 2024. While there, Dr Zhao will teach courses on Chinese culture, conduct comparative research on traditional Chinese culture and Western culture, give lectures to the university community on the research, and help with Chinese table and Chinese cultural activities on and off campus. Before departing for Utah, Dr Zhao is now organizing a pedagogical webinar that will feature Fulbright Scholars from 30 countries around world sharing their teaching experiences and how the digital tools are being used to reshape the teaching and learning in 21st century higher education.

Dr. Zhao joined SUTD as a lecturer in 2016. At SUTD, he teaches courses in Humanities Core Curriculum, Chinese Fiction, Lyrical Poetry, digital humanities, and Chinese Landscape Design.