Applications have opened for the National Science Foundation’s flagship Graduate Research Fellowship, which covers a broad range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields such as chemistry, computer science, social sciences and STEM education.
Three recent Emory College of Arts and Sciences graduates and one current PhD student in Emory’s Laney Graduate School are among the 1,000 high-potential, early-career scholars selected. They are:
- Wei Dai, a 2022 honors graduate with degrees in computer science and math. Dai earned a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University before his current pursuit of a PhD from the media lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Eugenia (Eu) Giampetruzzi, a 2023 honors graduate in psychology. Giampetruzzi is now pursuing a PhD in affective science-psychology from Stanford.
- Annika Jordan, a 2023 honors graduate in English and psychology. Jordan is currently pursuing a PhD in neuroscience at Yale University.
- Hannah Ford, a PhD student in Laney Graduate School. Ford is researching chemical catalysts as a doctoral student in assistant chemistry professor Laura K.G. Ackerman-Biegasiewicz’s lab.
Emory also had 13 honorable mention award recipients.
These honorable mentions are 2025 graduates Madeline Bloom, Madeline Cierici, Jeremy Hannon, Elijah Lapeza and Maya Risin; Nick Chang and Benjamin Fargnoli from the Class of 2024; Class of 2023 alumni Summer Bushman, Leonardo Claure, Julie Donovan, Xiaoyun (Kristina) Gong and Yuwen (Daniel) Wang; and Lauren Mahoney from the Class of 2022.
The NSF encourages applications from current college seniors and recent graduates, who are not limited in the number of times they may apply annually prior to beginning graduate study. One change for the 2026 applicant cycle is that only first-year graduate students are eligible to apply.
Though students apply directly, senior and post-baccalaureate applicants are encouraged to seek information and support from the National Scholarships and Fellowships Program (NSFP) in Emory College’s Pathways Center, says program director Megan Friddle.
“This may be students’ first time assembling a grant proposal, and we are able to offer advice on how to best prepare their applications for review,” Friddle says.
The NSFP will host a workshop series on Wednesday, Oct. 29, and Wednesday, Nov. 5, for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate applicants to draft and revise their materials. PhD students should work with Laney Graduate School on their applications.
The Graduate Research Fellowship includes a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and access to programs for professional development and international research. Universities receive $16,000 in tuition subsidies per student.
The deadlines for this application cycle are:
- Monday, Nov. 10: Life sciences
- Wednesday, Nov. 12: Computer and data science, psychology, social/behavioral sciences, economics and science education
- Thursday, Nov. 13: Engineering
- Friday, Nov. 14: Chemistry, geosciences, math, physics and astronomy