Partnership Award 2023

The Commission was pleased to again present the Partnership Award this year after a COVID hiatus. The award honors an American who has done impressive work to benefit U.S.-Iceland relations. This year, many excellent nominations were received, but after serious deliberation the Fulbright Iceland Board of Directors chose Robert Dell, a geothermal sculptor, Founding Director of the Laboratory for Energy Reclamation and Innovation and Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Mr. Dell’s relationship with Iceland spans over three decades, starting with a Fulbright research grant in 1988. He has returned many times to Iceland and built successful relationships both in the arts and science, collaborating on various projects with Icelandic colleagues and institutions.

The U.S. Embassy hosted a reception in honor of Mr. Dell. Attending were former U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Charles Cobb and his wife Ambassador Sue Cobb, who established the Partnership Award in 1991, current U.S. Ambassador Carrin Patman and members of the Fulbright Commission Board of Directors. Among esteemed guests at the reception were two former Prime Ministers of Iceland, the current Minister for Foreign Affairs and friends and colleagues of Robert Dell from academia, the arts and the business community.