A total of 34 Vanderbilt University alumni, students and incoming students have been named National Science Foundation graduate research fellows for 2024.
The prestigious fellowship program assists exceptional graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees across various fields, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, STEM education and social sciences supported by NSF. Since its inception in 1952, the NSF GRFP has been a cornerstone of support for graduate students, providing financial aid through a $37,000 annual stipend and a $16,000 allowance for educational expenses, along with opportunities for professional growth and international research endeavors.
Vanderbilt's 2024 NSF GRFP Scholars:
Harrison Anthony Walker, materials research - computationally intensive research
Jia A. Mei, Class of 2027, life sciences - microbial biology
Jacquelyn Spathies, Class of 2027, life sciences - microbial biology
Jean-Paul Rojas, Class of 2028, social sciences - archaeology
Monica E. Brown, Class of 2027, life sciences - cell biology
Katherine E. Peebles, Class of 2028, life sciences - cell biology
Austin Coursey, Class of 2027, comp/IS/eng - machine learning
Jacob Allen Schulman, engineering - biomedical engineering
Olivia L. Riedling, Class of 2027, life sciences - microbial biology
Molly E. Sullivan, Class of 2027, life sciences - biochemistry
Jared David Rhodes
Hari Srinivasan, Class of 2027, life sciences - neurosciences
Soren M. Smail, Class of 2027, materials research - chemistry of materials
Skyler Trenton Hornback, Class of 2027, engineering - chemical engineering
Emily Daria Berestesky, Class of 2027, engineering - biomedical engineering
William A. Richardson, Class of 2027, comp/IS/eng - cyber-physical systems and embedded systems
Leah E. Oswalt, Class of 2027, life sciences - biochemistry
Antiana Richardson, Class of 2027, life sciences - systems and molecular biology
Cameron Deal, BA'24, social sciences - economics
Abigail Eisenklam, BS'24, comp/IS/eng - cyber-physical systems and embedded systems
Alexander S. Oh, BE'24, engineering - optical engineering
Schyler Rowland, BE'24, engineering - biomedical engineering
Henoc Zinga, BA'24, life sciences - biochemistry
Theresa Marie Miller, BE'18, engineering - civil engineering
Divya Prabhakaran, BS'21, psychology - computationally intensive research
Elijah Sheridan, BA'22, physics and astronomy - theoretical physics
Kathryn Lee, BE'23, engineering - mechanical engineering
Stephen James Lee, BE'17, engineering - bioengineering
Daniel Feldman, BS '21 - neuroscience and psychology
Ana Fonongava'inga Stringer, BA'22, social sciences - geography
Sixteen other Vanderbilt students and alumni received honorable mention designation for the program:
Evi Marie Malagise, Class of 2027, life sciences - biochemistry
Tobias Conroy McCabe, Class of 2028, life sciences - neurosciences
Matthew Paul Vasuta, Class of 2027, materials research - polymers
Anna Regina Kittel, Class of 2028, engineering - biomedical engineering
Owen R. Meilander, Class of 2027, engineering - electrical and electronic engineering
Camille Archer, BA'20, Class of 2024, psychology - cognitive neurosciences
Madison Marie Albert, BE'24, engineering - biomedical engineering
Jahnai R. Garner, BS'24, psychology - psycholinguistics
Sarah Hourihan, BA'24, life sciences - evolutionary biology
Jason Hwong, BE'24, materials research - physics of materials
Katrina Schwensen, BE'24, engineering - bioengineering
Hannah Timlin Gelnaw, BA'21, life sciences - neurosciences
Sarah Maren Lempres, BS'21, psychology - developmental psychology
Audrey J. Wang, BA'21, engineering - biomedical engineering
Benjamin Mark Shani, BE'23, engineering - electrical and electronic engineering
Matthew Tremblay, BA'22, chemistry - chemical theory, models and computational methods
The rigorous application process demands thoroughness and collaboration with students' advisors, as students craft persuasive personal statements and research proposals. For the 2024 cycle, there were 2,037 fellowship offers in total, which is 518 less than the 2023 cycle. Additionally, in the 2024 cycle there were 1716 honorable mentions, 915 more than in the 2023 cycle.
The 2025 application will open over the summer with field-specific deadlines in the fall. For interested Vanderbilt students and alumni, the Fellowships and Graduate and Postdoctoral Coaching team experts offer support through one-on-one advising sessions. It is advised that first-year students, recent alumni, and rising seniors who intend to apply connect with the Career Center.
