Rob Glover, associate professor of political science and honors at the University of Maine, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Portugal for spring 2027.
Glover will travel to Lisbon to study Portugal’s drug decriminalization policy more than 25 years after its implementation. His work will examine the long-term impacts of the policy, which has drawn international attention for its public health-focused approach.
While in Lisbon, Glover will teach an upper-level drug policy seminar at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. He will also collaborate with faculty and staff at the university on service-learning and community-engaged research initiatives.
“This is a meaningful opportunity to learn from colleagues in Portugal and to engage more deeply with a policy approach that has shaped global conversations about public health and substance use disorder,” Glover said. “I’m excited to bring those perspectives back to my work with students and partners at UMaine.”
The award builds on a partnership Glover has developed over the past seven years between the UMaine and Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Glover and Karyn Sporer, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, are scheduled to lead the third annual faculty-led study abroad program to Lisbon in May. The three-week program brings undergraduate and graduate students from multiple disciplines to study comparative drug policy, with a focus on public health and harm reduction.
