Twenty University of Utah graduate students have been offered awards in the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) for 2022, the largest U cohort to date. The prestigious fellowship supports outstanding doctoral and research-based master’s students doing research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines. A total of 17 fellowship winners received their baccalaureate degrees here at the U, the largest group of winners ever who trained at the U as undergraduates.
“We had really moved the mark over the past few years, but this year we hit it out of the park,” said David Kieda, dean of the U’s Graduate School.
Established in 1952, the NSF GRFP is the oldest fellowship program of its kind. The 2022 fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, a $12,000 cost of allowance for tuition and fees, and numerous research and professional development opportunities.
Kieda notes that this year’s cohort of 20 fellows is the sixth-highest among Pac-12 peers and includes graduate students in 16 different departments, ranging from Child Development to Ecology to Biomedical Engineering.
“UU-related” means graduate students currently at the U, plus students who earned their baccalaureate degrees at the U and are now studying at another institution.
Congratulations to the 2022 NSF GRFP fellows:
| Devaki Abhyankar, biomedical engineering |
| Tyler Ball, chemical catalysis |
| Hannah Duffy, biomedical engineering |
| Robert Falconer, biomedical engineering |
| Oliver Flatt, formal methods, verification and programming languages |
| Jordan Grammer, neurosciences |
| Cleo Hancock, chemical engineering |
| Martina Hollearn, cognitive neuroscience |
| Lewis Kunik, atmospheric sciences |
| Shaylee Larsen, chemical engineering |
| Samantha Linn, mathematical biology |
| Nicole Losurdo, neurosciences |
| Madeline Meyer, chemistry of life processes |
| Nicolette Molina, physiological psychology |
| Megan Mullineaux, child development |
| Shai-anne Nalder, biochemistry |
| Kaitlin O’Dell, applied mathematics |
| Nathan Ortiz, mechanical engineering |
| Andrew Simonson, chemical engineering |
| Caleb Thomson, biomedical engineering |
Congratulations to the 11 graduate students who received honorable mentions:
| Donovan Birky, mechanical engineering |
| Hannah Burton, chemical theory, models and computational methods |
| Kayla Eschenbacher, neurosciences |
| Shelby Galinat, sustainable chemistry |
| Rachel Hurrell, biochemistry |
| Maci Jacobson, neurosciences |
| Rachel Klink, biomedical engineering |
| Roxanne Lamson, Archaeology |
| Tre Presley, mechanical engineering |
| Moe Samha, chemical catalysis |
| David Williamson, analytical chemistry |