Chemistry celebrates student success in the 2024 NSF GRFP Competition

Each year, the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) receives thousands of applications from across the country. Scholars selected as fellows receive three years of fellowship support - currently $37,000 - as well as access to opportunities for professional development. The award gives scholars an early opportunity to conduct self-directed research, jump starting promising scientific careers.

As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. Over 450 alumni are members of the National Academy of Sciences and over 40 alumni have gone on to become Nobel Laureates.

The Emory University Department of Chemistry has celebrated 40 awards and 29 Honorable Mentions made to undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni over the last decade.

In the 2024 competition, 15 chemistry scholars were recognized, including:

7 current graduate scholars
2 incoming graduate scholars
3 undergraduate scholars
3 undergraduate alumni

Congratulations to all who were recognized and to all who applied!

🎸 They're with the band...

Schrödinger's Dog is a band made up primarily of current graduate scholars in chemistry. The group was formed in 2021 and has played at chemistry events including Fourth Friday and recruitment weekend (pictured above in title video). To date, every eligible member of the band has both applied for and received the NSF GRFP award!

Andres Gonzalez Socorro (2024 NSF Fellow, guitar)
Sam Horwitz (2022 NSF Fellow, drums)
Maia Vierengel (2024 NSF Fellow, saxophone & vocals)

Music and chemistry are a winning combination!

2024 Awardees & Honorable Mentions

Reem Al-Ahmad

A "hunter" of innovative synthesis, Reem received an Honorable Mention in the 2024 competition.

Elise Bezold

A confident and collaborative researcher, Elise received an Honorable Mention for her proposal targeting virulent biofilms.

Yingrong Chen

Driven by the possibilities of computational work, alum Yingrong celebrates an Honorable Mention. Next up, pursuing the chemistry PhD at John's Hopkins.

Sydni Alexis Elebra

Sydni Alexis is a community builder whose NSF award will support her work rescuing cells from the ravages of E. coli.

Courtney Glenn

Courtney's NSF award is a well-deserved and welcome recognition of her work on a research path with broad impact. She joins Emory this Fall to pursue the PhD.

Andres Gonzalez Socorro

His research explores the properties of the deep sea. Closer to home, awardee Andres leads student engagement.

Aditya Kolisetti

Aditya received an Honorable Mention for a proposal that harnessed his enthusiasm for pursuing the unexpected to reach target scaffolds. Next up, pursuing the PhD at UNC Chapel Hill.

Andrew LeBlanc

Andrew, a skilled navigator of natural products total synthesis, received an NSF Honorable Mention for his proposal to apply chemical biology techniques to elucidate the unknown mechanism of action of a novel antimicrobial.

Evelyn Ramirez

Evelyn seeks to impact human health through chemistry. Her NSF award will be applied in support of her pursuit of the PhD at Emory starting this Fall.

John Talbott

John searches for new cancer therapeutics while pursuing his online MBA. His Honorable Mention recognizes research and mentoring excellence.

Maia Vierengel

Awardee Maia researches how cells interpret and respond to forces. In her community, she is a force for good, building pathways for STEM learning online and in-person.

Evan Weingarten

Building independence as a synthetic strategist in the Davies Group helped lead to Evan's NSF award and an Honors degree. Next up, the PhD in Chemistry at Cornell.