Program Overview
The Hunter R. Rawlings III Cornell Presidential Research Scholars program selects highly motivated students and provides them with the opportunity to conduct financially supported, faculty mentored research throughout their undergraduate years. Students are encouraged to pursue their intellectual interests through research in any area of study including the humanities, physical and biological sciences, social sciences, arts and engineering. Selected RCPRS students have demonstrated academic excellence in addition to personal characteristics necessary to becoming a great researcher. Participating in a world-class research community early in a student’s career promotes academic growth and opens doors to the future.
An anonymous gift to the university created the Cornell Presidential Research Scholars program in 1996. In 2006, Cornell’s Board of Trustees named the program in honor of former president Hunter R. Rawlings III in recognition of Rawlings' commitment to students and scholars.
Outcomes
Post graduate plans: 55 percent of RCPRS graduates go directly on to graduate school (vs. Cornell average of 34 percent); of those, more than 70 percent go beyond a master's program (PhD, MD, DVM, JD, etc.)
Graduation honors: Nearly half of RCPRS seniors are distinguished graduates (cum laude, distinction in research, summa cum laude, honors)
Honors theses: More than half of RCPRS students submit a senior honors thesis
Fields of research: RCPRS students are engaged in research across the university, in all colleges and countless majors. A general breakdown shows that:
- 39 percent are involved in social science or humanities research
- 36 percent are involved in life science research (predominantly biology-related)
- 25 percent are involved in physical sciences/engineering
Current A&S Scholars
Cornell Presidential Research Scholars
Class of 2023
Jeffrey Backus Physics & Mathematics
Julia Fan Biological Sciences
Benjamin Hack Biological Sciences
Gabrielle Hill Africana Studies/ Environment & Sustainability
Alexandria Kim Government
Zachary Lakkis Biological Sciences
Hannah Master Archaeology, Near Eastern Studies
Malavika Ramarao Biological Sciences
Tony Valencia Biology; German
Zhiyuan Zhou History, College Scholar, and Government
Luke O'Leary Economics
Class of 2024
Aanya Bhandari Economics
Eric Gan Biological Sciences
Alice Rau Economics
Adriana Palmieri Chemistry
Victoria Rinn Government
Robert Winslow Government
Sarina Zhou Economics
Class of 2025
Abdelrhman Abdelrhman Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Adriana Arce Government
Mikaal Aziz Government
Patrick Choo Biological Sciences
Blythe Hodgden Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Claire Kim Biological Sciences
Tejal Nair Mathematics
Ben Neuwirth Computer Sciences
Charles Preston Classics (Greek, Latin)
Tomas Salgado Mathematics
Netra Shetty Biological Sciences
Caroline Sun Statistical Science
Orion Tian Computer Science
Gavin Zhou Biological Sciences
Class of 2026
Alexandra Allen Classics (Greek, Latin)
Justine Choi Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Nahid Hassan Economics
Ethan Amoh Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Aaryan Pugazendhi Biological Sciences (AS)
Estrella Carbajal Leon Biological Sciences (AS)
Rebekah Rickman Biology and Society (AS)
Sanjana Vittal Undeclared