2025 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program announces awardees and honorable mentions

07-11-2025

Twelve boilermakers from the College of Science are honored 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) which included 24 awardees and 28 honorable mentions from Purdue University.  Of the pool of innovators, the Purdue University College of Science students stood out with twelve awardee offers and eight honorable mentions: 

Awardees: 

  • Lauren Elizabeth Bell is studying Physics and Astronomy - Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics at Purdue University. Bell earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Dean S. Calhoun is studying Geosciences - Artificial Intelligence at the University of Maryland, College Park. Calhoun earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Dominick Dotson, studying Chemistry - Chemical Measurement and Imaging at Purdue University. Dotson earned a baccalaureate at Northern Michigan University.
  • Hebah S. Goderya is studying Physics and Astronomy - Quantum Information Science at the University of Texas at Austin. Goderya earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Matthew Davis Golden is studying Physics and Astronomy - Condensed Matter Physics at Purdue University. Golden earned a baccalaureate at Bellarmine University.
  • Lance Hatch is studying Chemistry - Chemical Measurement and Imaging at Purdue University. Hatch earned a baccalaureate at Eastern Oregon University.
  • Patrick J. Herchenbach is studying Chemistry - Chemical Measurement and Imaging at Purdue University. Herchenbach earned a baccalaureate at Creighton University.
  • Ishaan Madan is studying Geosciences - Planetary Surface Processes, Astrobiology at Purdue University. Madan earned a baccalaureate at Wheaton College.
  • Sonja Nusser is studying Chemistry - Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanism at Purdue University. Nusser earned a baccalaureate at Syracuse University.
  • Abigayle M. R. Simpson is studying Life Sciences – Ecology at the University of California-Irvine. Simpson earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Shifa Somji is studying Comp/IS/Eng - Human Computer Interaction at Purdue University. Somji earned a baccalaureate at Harvey Mudd College.
  • Jade GA St Pierre is studying Geosciences – Geochemistry at Purdue University. St Pierre earned a baccalaureate at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Honorable Mentions:  

  • Dylan S. Forbes is studying Chemistry - Chemical Measurement and Imaging at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Ashley Ortiz is studying Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Kennedy Alexis Outlaw is studying Life Sciences – Biophysics at Stanford University and earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Ethan J. Pinarski, studying Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at Purdue University.
  • Olivia J. Holmes is studying Physics and Astronomy - Physics of Living Systems at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at the University of Alabama Tuscaloosa.
  • Paisley Lilliana Jeannette is studying Chemistry - Chemistry of Life Processes at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at Eckerd College.
  • Miranda Pikus is studying Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at Michigan State University. 
  • Trevor Erwin is studying Physics and Astronomy - Astronomy and Astrophysics at Purdue University and earned a baccalaureate at the University of Texas at Austin.

The purpose of the NSF GRFP is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000. 

To learn more about GRFP or to apply for future awards, current students at the undergraduate and graduate level can check the NSF GRFP home page. The College of Science is proud of our students who are driven to instigate the next giants leaps in STEM and look forward to following their research into their five-year fellowships term. 

 

About the College of Science

Purdue University’s College of Science is committed to the persistent pursuit of the mathematical and scientific knowledge that forms the very foundation of innovation. More than 350 tenure-track faculty conduct world-changing research and deliver a transformative education to more than 6,800 undergraduates and 1,800 graduate students. See how we develop practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges with degree programs in the life sciences, physical sciences, computational sciences, and mathematics at www.purdue.edu/science.