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The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program awards work in STEM-related fields. 

Spring scene at the Old Well on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. April 3, 2023.
Spring scene at the Old Well on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Eleven students at UNC-Chapel Hill have received prestigious awards from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program for their research in STEM-related fields like chemistry, biology and neuroscience.

The eight graduate students and three seniors come from highly ranked programs across the University, within the UNC College of Arts and Sciences, the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and the UNC School of Medicine.

Another 35 Carolina students received honorable mentions from the fellowship program.

Beth Mayer-Davis, dean of The Graduate School, applauded this year’s recipients for driving the creation of new knowledge needed to solve the world’s great challenges and their potential to drive innovation in our state and beyond.

“These students represent the excellence of graduate education at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Mayer-Davis said. “I am excited to see our incredible students earn this recognition through their curiosity and their drive to make an impact on the world.”

These highly competitive fellowships recognize and support outstanding students who aim to pursue research-based master’s or doctoral degrees. Fellows receive federal funding through a three-year stipend, educational support and opportunities for professional development and international research. The fellowship began in 1952.

Awards 

  • UNC College of Arts and Sciences 
    • Nicholas James Boyer, senior, chemistry and computer science departments 
    • Dalia Chen, graduate student, biology department 
    • Brayden Davis, senior, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering 
    • Kara Michelle Joseph, graduate student, chemistry department 
    • Fowota Mortoo, graduate student, geography and environment department 
    • Natalia Mushegian,graduate student, geography and environment department 
    • Hannah-Marie Santos, senior, psychology and neuroscience department 
    • Bryn Werley, graduate student, chemistry department 
    • Gretchen Elise Wulfekuhle, graduate student, psychology and neuroscience department 

     

    UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health 

    • Annika Cleven, graduate student, biostatistics department 

     

    UNC School of Medicine 

    • Isabel Ott, graduate student, genetics and molecular biology department 

Honorable Mentions

  • UNC College of Arts and Science

    • Susanna Angles, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Jason Robert Chapman, graduate student, physics and astronomy department
    • Emily Katherine Crawford, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Corinne Drabenstott, undergraduate, biomedical engineering
    • Julia Louise Drennan, graduate student, biology department
    • Tabitha Henry, graduate student, biology department
    • Mark Jareczek, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Haley Jostes, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Joshua Leon, graduate student, biology department
    • Bryson George Lee Loflin, undergraduate, biology department
    • Alessandra Mandala Kol, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Hayden Jackson Mann, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Morgan Taylor Merriman, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Alison Russell, graduate student, psychology and neuroscience department
    • Jessica Saunders, undergraduate, Earth, marine and environmental sciences department
    • Bridget Seghy, graduate student, political science department
    • Raina Semenick, graduate student, chemistry department 
    • Ina Shkurti, graduate student, geography and environment department
    • Peyton Nachelle Smalls, graduate student, anthropology department
    • Mel Soto, graduate student, chemistry department
    • Mariam Wahba, undergraduate, psychology and neuroscience department

  • UNC School of Medicine

    • Jackson Patrick Bennett, graduate student, cell biology and physiology department 
    • Katherine Coker, graduate student, biological and biomedical sciences department 
    • Kathleen Holmes, graduate student, cell biology and physiology department 
    • Jacob Ryan Hughes, graduate student, biochemistry and biophysics department
    • Ashlyn Laidman, graduate student, cell biology and physiology department 
    • Ashley Merriweather, graduate research assistant
    • Katelyn McInerney graduate student, bioinformatics & computational biology department
    • Paola Alexandra Rivera Garcia, graduate student, biological and biomedical sciences department
    • Sarah Lynne Whittington graduate student, pharmacology department

  • UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
    • Nicole Alexa Gill, graduate student, pharmaceutical sciences department
    • Sarah Thormann, graduate student, pharmaceutical sciences department
    • Brandon Villanueva Sanchez, graduate research assistant
    • Emily Ann Joe graduate student, pharmaceutical sciences department
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
    • Andong Wang, graduate student, biostatistics department 
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