They’ll head to nations around the globe to pursue their academic passions.
University of Rochester students will perform research and volunteer service—both home and abroad—while others will further their education after receiving merit-based national awards during the 2024–25 academic year.
This year’s recipients will travel to France, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, Tanzania, and other parts in between as scholars and researchers honored by prestigious programs.
Meet this year’s honorees.
Derek Chien ’25 heading to the UK as a Churchill Scholar
Derek Chien ’25, a chemistry and bioethics double major, was named a Churchill Scholar and will pursue a year of master’s degree study in STEM programs at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
The Reno, Nevada, native will undertake a master’s of philosophy in biotechnology, another step toward his goal of becoming a physician-scientist.
Chien is Rochester’s first Churchill Scholar since 2009.
Four juniors named Goldwater Scholars for future careers in STEM fields
Maria Ahmed ’26 (biochemistry), Wimeth Dissanayake ’26 (molecular genetics), Aashay Mardikar ’26 (biochemistry), and Marvin Wu ’26 (chemistry and clinical and translational sciences) were named Goldwater Scholars—the second time in three years that four Rochester students were selected.
The scholarship honors undergraduate students across the United States who plan to pursue research careers in the fields of science, engineering, and mathematics.
Beckman Scholars will research in Rochester
Maria Ahmed ’26 was also selected as a Beckman Scholar with Dabne Herrera Guerra ’26 (biochemistry and chemistry). Both will conduct independent laboratory research under the mentorship of select University of Rochester faculty over 15 months. The highly selective is administered by the biology and chemistry departments, guided by three core values: research excellence, mentorship, and inclusion. Beckman Scholars will benefit from several professional development programs and have the opportunity to present their research at the annual Beckman Symposium.
Ahmed and Herrera Guerra will begin their research this summer in the labs of , the George Y. and Catherine H. Wu Professor in Chemistry, and , a professor of biology, respectively.
In 2023, Herrera Guerra was named to the National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program, which provides up to $20,000 per academic year to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.
Nyasha Gwaza ’26 receives Projects for Peace grant
Nyasha Gwaza ’26, an electrical and computer engineering major from Zimbabwe, was awarded a $10,000 grant from Projects for Peace. This summer, she will run a project called “Sewing Peace” in her hometown of Gwanda. The objective is to divert young people from engaging in illegal gold panning activities and the resulting conflict with local environment management authorities, using sewing instruction as a means of socially acceptable economic self-sufficiency.
Projects for Peace encourages young adults around the world to develop innovative, community-centered responses to the world’s most pressing issues.
Students, alumni chosen for NSF graduate research program
Four Rochester students were selected for the National Science Foundation Graduate logo Fellowship Program, which supports students pursuing research-based graduate degrees in STEM disciplines: Carmen Marshall ’25 (environmental studies), Natasha Vacca ’25 (neuroscience), and doctoral candidates Amy Carolus (clinical psychology) and Alex Jasko (geosciences). Alumni Danielle Getz ’23, Christopher Lu ’23, and Rachel Young ’23 were also chosen.
Kai Jia (Mark) Liu ’24 will study at Peking University as Yenching Scholar
Kai Jia (Mark) Liu ’24, an international relations and history double major, was selected for the . Its mission is to build bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master’s program. The goal is to shape new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China’s past, present, and future.
Students heading to Germany for summer research
Eight students are heading to Germany this summer as part of the DAAD RISE program, which offers undergraduates from North America, Great Britain, and Ireland research internships at top German universities and research institutions.
This year’s cohort includes Marlena Berger ’27 (optical engineering), Erhan Ertekin ’26 (chemistry), Leo Liang ’26 (applied math and computer science), Lily Matt ’26 (environmental science), Katherine Neyland ’26 (biochemistry), Misha Parikh ’27 (computational biology), Ngoc Mai Pham ’27 (data science), and Hanna Wang ’26 (molecular genetics).
Maria Lizarazo Rojas, a doctoral candidate in chemistry, was named a DAAD RISE professional. The program offers summer research internships in Germany to master’s and PhD students.
Gilman Scholars headed to France, Germany
Princess Aniagboso ’26 (psychology) and Alexander Bae ’27 (microbiology) will study in Europe this summer as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. Sponsored by the US Department of State, the program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, offering skills critical to American national security and economic prosperity.
Aniagboso is headed to Toulouse, France, to take a course called “Masterworks in French Art, Architecture and Culture.” Bae will work in the cardiothoracic-vascular surgery department at the German Heart Institute of Charité in Berlin, Germany.
Valeria Riviera Almodovar ’26 will conduct research at Yale University as Amgen Scholar
Valeria Riviera Almodovar ’26, a molecular genetics major from Coto Laurel, Puerto Rico, will study at Yale University as part of the . Undergraduates from across the globe participate in cutting-edge research opportunities at world-class institutions.
Carmen Marshall ’25 earns conservation graduate fellowship
Carmen Marshall ’25 (environmental studies) is the recipient of a graduate fellowship through the . The fellowship is designed to support and develop emerging leaders in conservation science, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Graduate fellows engage in mentored research aligned with conservation science and policy.
Rafael de Farias ’25 headed to Tennessee with GEM Fellowship
Rafael de Farias ’25 (physics and astronomy) will perform research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this summer after being accepted into the GEM Fellowship Program. The fellowship allows graduate students to intern in fields such as research and development. The Lubbock, Texas, resident will work in ORNL’s Theory and Computation section of the Center for Nanophase Materials. He’ll begin pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering this fall at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Lia Polster ’27 to study Swahili as CLS Scholar
Lia Polster ’27, a linguistics major from Shaker Heights, Ohio, has been awarded a Critical Language Scholarship to study Swahili in Arusha, Tanzania. The program is sponsored by the US Department of State and allows American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world.
Sophia Samantaroy ’24, ’25 (MS) working in Egypt as Christianson Fellow
Sophia Samantaroy ’24, ’25 (MS) of Vienna, Virginia, is headed to Egypt to work with the education and development non-profit Coptic Orphans as part of the Christianson Fellowship program, which funds young Americans with a passion for improving the world by sending them around the globe to support service-based projects.
Samanataroy majored in environmental health and history and will earn a master’s degree in epidemiology this month. Coptic Orphans’ mission is to break the cycle of poverty in Egypt through long-term programs that focus on education.
Alana Eisenberg ’25 selected for one-year community health service program
Alana Eisenberg ’25, a neuroscience major from Madbury, New Hampshire, was selected as a . The one-year service leadership program provides relationship-based support to children, adults with mental illness, seniors, and other vulnerable individuals.
