The National Science Foundation has selected a record 40 Vanderbilt students and alumni for its 2022 Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
The NSF GRFP supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, STEM education and in NSF-backed social science disciplines.
Established in 1952, the NSF GRFP offers financial support to graduate students in the form of a $34,000 annual stipend and a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance, as well as professional development and international research opportunities.
Vanderbilt’s 2022 NSF GRFP scholars
| Madeline C. Allen | Engineering – Civil Engineering |
| Hannah Taylor Anderson | Physics and Astronomy – Nuclear Physics |
| Minna Kristin Iavorova Apostolova | Life Sciences – Biochemistry |
| Audrey Margaret Arner | Social Sciences – Biological Anthropology |
| Blake Mae Baleami | Life Sciences – Bioinformatics and Computational Biology |
| Clare C. Beatty | Psychology – Developmental Psychology |
| Hannah Brien | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Lucy Sammis Britto | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Rhett Joseph Britton | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Andreanna Jane Burman | Life Sciences – Cell Biology |
| Belinda C. Chen | Psychology – Social Psychology |
| Dara Craig | Social Sciences – Science Policy |
| Corinne Warlick Curry | Engineering – Chemical Engineering |
| Natalie Marie Curry | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Jesse Francisco d’Almeida | Engineering – Mechanical Engineering |
| Alice Ding | Engineering – Computationally Intensive Research |
| Andrew Christian Dixson | Life Sciences – Cell Biology |
| Lauren Elizabeth Drake | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Emily Drue Fabiano | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Adrian Nicolas Florea | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Preston Casey Gourville | Chemistry – Chemical Synthesis |
| Emma Rose Hart | Psychology – Developmental Psychology |
| Tao Hong | Engineering – Optical Engineering |
| Andrew Kjar | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Chelsea Faith Mariano | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Kevin David McCarty | Life Sciences – Biochemistry |
| Stephanie Lynn Molitor | Engineering – Mechanical Engineering |
| Sarah Monica | Geosciences – Marine Geology and Geophysics |
| Ismael Ortiz | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Hayden Michael Pagendarm | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Gabrielle Elise Reimann | Psychology – Cognitive Psychology |
| Nicole Suzanne Sarna | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Janet Marie Stefanov | Social Sciences – Economics |
| Payton Todd Stone | Engineering – Chemical Engineering |
| Teresa Piedad Torres | Life Sciences – Microbial Biology |
| Maria Valeria Urrutia Hurtado | Physics and Astronomy – Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| Sophia Ann Vogelsang | Chemistry – Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanism |
| Marsalas Dewitt Whitaker | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Jose C. Zepeda | Life Sciences – Neurosciences |
| Alexa Morgan Zytnick | Life Sciences – Microbial Biology |
An additional 22 Vanderbilt students and alumni received honorable mention designation for the program.
| Aakash Basu | Life Sciences – Neurosciences |
| Bryce Kenneth Belanger | Geosciences – Paleoclimate |
| Kaeli Noele Bryant | Life Sciences – Microbial Biology |
| Julissa Burgos | Life Sciences – Cell and Developmental Biology |
| Hannah Datillo | Physics and Astronomy – Astronomy and Astrophysics |
| Cole Anton Dempsey | Engineering – Mechanical Engineering |
| Heather Ann Hartmann | Chemistry – Chemical Measurement and Imaging |
| Sydney R. Henriques | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Tess Gavrielle Levinson | STEM Education and Learning Research – Technology Education |
| Kristi Maisha | Engineering – Civil Engineering |
| Reese Alexander Martin | Life Sciences – Evolutionary Biology |
| Oluwalade Ogungbesan | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Ethan Clair Oseas | Engineering – Biomedical Engineering |
| Melanie Padalino | Chemistry – Chemistry of Life Processes |
| Alexandra Reichert | Social Sciences – Medical Anthropology |
| Gabriel Angel Rios | Geosciences – Computationally Intensive Research |
| Zachary C. Sanchez | Life Sciences – Cell Biology |
| Elijah Sheridan | Physics and Astronomy – Particle Physics |
| McKalee Steen | Life Sciences – Ecology |
| Amanda Zilu Sun | Life Sciences – Bioinformatics and Computational Biology |
| David Y. Qiu | Chemistry – Chemistry of Life Processes |
| Xiao Zeng | Physics and Astronomy – Physics of Living Systems |
The Graduate Research Fellowship Program’s application process is extensive. Applicants work in conjunction with their advisers to create compelling personal statements and research plans.
The Vanderbilt Career Center would particularly like to thank the many mentors and advisers across Vanderbilt and Vanderbilt University Medical Center who have supported students and alumni in preparing NSF GRFP applications, as preparing a competitive application is a team effort.
The 2023 application will open over the summer with field-specific submission deadlines in mid- to late October 2022. Vanderbilt students and alumni can consult with experts on the Fellowships and Graduate and Postdoctoral Coaching teams at the Career Center, which offers one-on-one advising sessions in addition to co-hosting an annual cohort-based NSF peer review boot camp with the Writing Studio.
The Career Center strongly encourages first-year graduate students, recent alumni and rising seniors intending to apply to a research-based graduate program in an NSF-supported STEM field (including the social sciences) to contact the Career Center for additional information about available NSF advising services.
The Career Center supports all undergraduate students, graduate students (STEM, humanities and social sciences disciplines), postdoctoral fellows and recent Vanderbilt alumni up to two years post-graduation.
The Fellowships Team supports all Vanderbilt students, postdoctoral fellows and alumni who are eligible to apply for the awards that the Career Center supports. More information on all supported fellowships can be found on the Career Center website.
Those interested in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program or other competitive fellowships should contact Elizabeth Harrington Lambert, associate director of fellowships and scholarships.