Sawyer Business School Faculty Member Awarded Fulbright Scholarship

Finland is one of the most physically active countries in the world. (Some sources even put it at #1.) It is also among the most sustainable countries.

That’s why Professor Müjde Yuksel applied for a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Vaasa in the Scandinavian country. She’s going to examine the role that others play in holding people accountable when it comes to physical activity and green consumption.

“I’m going to look at communities, particularly digital communities, and how accountability translates to increased physical activity and increased sustainability efforts” says Yuksel. “There may be additional implications of the research. For instance, women are less active than men, and I want to examine whether women’s sense of duty to their peers when it comes to exercising is a way to close that gap.”

Think of the peer groups that formed during the pandemic to help people keep their Peloton streaks going. “In these kinds of communities you’re more aligned around the activity. It’s not your friends or family, who can sometimes be a hinderance,” Yuksel says.

Yuksel is one of a number of Sawyer Business School professors who have been awarded prestigious Fulbright Scholarships over the past few years.

“This is a very big honor, both for Professor Yuksel and for the Sawyer Business School,” said Dean Amy Zeng. “It is a testament to our global reach as well as the strength and depth of our faculty’s research.”

A native of Turkey, Yuksel appreciates the value of immersing one’s self in other cultures, which is one reason she’s bringing her husband and five-year-old son with her to Finland. “This will be an amazing experience for our whole family,” she says. “Ori will be starting kindergarten...in Finland! It’s very exciting.”