Over 50 Students Receive NSF Graduate Fellowships

Graduate student research

By | Katya Hrichak , Cornell University Graduate School

11/7/2022

Fifty-five Cornell graduate students have been selected as 2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) fellows. These new fellows join Cornell’s community of over 200 current fellows.

The NSF offers approximately 2,000 fellowships per year to research-based master’s and doctoral students pursuing study in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines at accredited U.S. institutions. For the 2022 competition, the NSF received over 12,000 applications.

“We are incredibly proud of and excited about the number of successful Cornell NSF GRFP applicants,” said Holly Boulia, director of fellowships in the Graduate School. “In my time at Cornell, this is the largest class of new fellows I’ve seen in one year.”

As part of the five-year fellowship, students receive three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $34,000. Fellows’ institutions receive a cost of education allowance of $12,000.

“Receiving this fellowship inspires me even more to utilize all the resources that I am lucky enough to have,” said Ambika Pachaury, a biomedical engineering doctoral student advised by Susan Daniel. “It validates my reason for pursuing science and, at the same time, solidifies my determination to be the best scientist I can be.”

Olivia Paschall, a doctoral student in geological sciences advised by Rowena Lohman, appreciates the opportunities the fellowship provides for her research. Having secured her own funding, she now feels freer to pursue her research interests.

“This fellowship puts me on a great track to become a successful and independent researcher throughout my graduate studies,” said Paschall.

Without the time commitment of an assistantship, recipients also look forward to using their time to give back. For plant biology doctoral student Byron Rusnak, who is advised by Adrienne Roeder, this will take the form of working with the Weill Institute DEI Committee and Qgrads, Cornell’s LGBTQIA+ graduate student association. Beatrys Rodrigues, a doctoral student in communication advised by Katherine Sender, looks forward to having time to mentor others and dedicate time to the public communication of her research.

“Our students are making positive impacts that reverberate across all of Cornell and into our communities,” said Kathryn J. Boor, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education. “We are so proud to recognize the achievements and potential of our NSF Graduate Research Fellows.”