Magalie Bourblanc: Heading to Arizona with Fulbright
Magalie Bourblanc is a political science researcher specializing in agricultural, water, and environmental policies at the G-EAU (CIRAD). As part of her Fulbright research fellowship, she will join the University of Arizona in the United States starting in January 2026.
Her award-winning research project is titled: “Exploring win-win solutions within the nexus of food, energy, and water systems, with a particular focus on the development of agrivoltaics and data centers for artificial intelligence.” For six months, she will be hosted at IGlobes (Interdisciplinary & Global Environmental Studies), a joint research center of the CNRS (International Research Lab) and the University of Arizona, as part of her Fulbright research fellowship.
Digital Infrastructure and Natural Resources
This project will examine the environmental impacts and challenges posed by the large-scale deployment of digital infrastructure, such as data centers, as well as the social and political tensions they may generate, particularly within Arizona’s agricultural sector. The project will explore how such digital infrastructure can directly or indirectly increase pressure on natural resources (primarily land and water).
The study will also examine how these environmental and social concerns help shape the development of such infrastructure and the public policies that accompany or regulate it. This case study aligns with the priority research themes of the France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges, which aims to explore the conditions necessary for a sustainable and equitable digital revolution.
The University of Montpellier and the Franco-American Fulbright Commission have signed an agreement establishing research fellowships for researchers affiliated with the University who wish to visit a U.S. university or research institute, and vice versa. These fellowships cover stays of 3 to 12 months, depending on the research project.