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, life sciences – microbial biology
Jacquelyn Spathies, life sciences – microbial biology
Jean-Paul Rojas, social sciences – archaeology
Monica E. Brown, life sciences – cell biology
Katherine E. Peebles, life sciences – cell biology
Austin Coursey, comp/IS/eng – machine learning
Jacob Allen Schulman, engineering – biomedical engineering
Olivia L. Riedling, life sciences – microbial biology
Molly E. Sullivan, life sciences – biochemistry
Jared David Rhodes, cancer biology
Hari Srinivasan, life sciences – neurosciences
Soren M. Smail, materials research – chemistry of materials
Skyler Trenton Hornback, engineering – chemical engineering
Emily Daria Berestesky, engineering – biomedical engineering
William A. Richardson, comp/IS/eng – cyber-physical systems and embedded systems
Leah E. Oswalt, life sciences – biochemistry
Antiana Richardson, 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, BA ’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, life sciences – biochemistry
Tobias Conroy McCabe, life sciences – neurosciences
Matthew Paul Vasuta, materials research – polymers
Anna Regina Kittel, engineering – biomedical engineering
Owen R. Meilander, 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.
