Eight Notre Dame students, alumni awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Eight current or former University of Notre Dame students have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, with an additional 16 singled out for honorable mention for the award.
Established in 1952, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program provides financial and other support to students in NSF-backed STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) disciplines to participate in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs at accredited institutions in the U.S.
Applicants work closely with their advisers to create compelling personal statements and research plans. Notre Dame students can also consult with experts from the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE) or its counterpart, the Office of Grants and Fellowships, in the Graduate School.
Jeff Thibert is the Paul and Maureen Stefanick Director of CUSE.
"On behalf of CUSE, I'd like to congratulate this year's NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recipients and honorable mentions,” Thibert said. “In a year where the number of fellowships was reduced to 1,000 from the expected number of 2,300, it is an especially significant accomplishment to be not only a recipient but also an honorable mention. It is our hope that more funds will become available to the NSF, allowing them to convert at least some of the honorable mentions to recipients.
He continued, “Thank you, as always, to the students' and alumni's mentors, and thank you especially to Emily Hunt, the CUSE assistant director of scholarly development, who works with the NSF GRFP (among other fellowships) and devotes a significant amount of time to providing advice and feedback to our applicants. We're lucky to have her on our team.”
Michael Skalski, associate program director of the Office of Grants and Fellowships, said, “The success of our students in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship competition is a testament to their individual drive, the mentorship of their faculty advisors, the vibrant research environment fostered at Notre Dame and the collaborative support offered by resources like the Graduate School's Office of Grants and Fellowships. This year, we are especially proud of and impressed by the robust number of students who received honorable mention. We celebrate the achievements of all of those recognized and look forward to their future contributions to STEM.”
The fellows are:
Undergraduate alumni
• Joseph Kelly (psychology)
• Caroline Lubbe (STEM education and learning research)
• Patrick Schwartz (engineering)
• Timothy Welch (engineering)
• Bailee Zacovic (mathematical sciences)
Graduate
• Marla Gravino (chemistry)
• Madison MacDougall (life sciences)
• Sophia Richter (life sciences)
The honorable mentions are:
Undergraduate
• Katherine Brandin (life sciences)
• Sara Murray (chemistry)
• Delaney Smith (engineering)
Undergraduate alumni
• Emma Bartley (psychology)
• Sydney Carlino (social sciences)
• Cassandra Franke (psychology)
• Nikol Garcia Espinoza (engineering)
• Lauren Hollmer (life sciences)
• Doyup Kwon (engineering)
• Quinn Mackay (geosciences)
• Michelena O’Rourke (engineering)
• Oliver Reyes (life sciences)
• Joseph Tatarka (social sciences)
Graduate
• Regina Mannino (mathematical sciences)
• Hannah O’Grady (life sciences)
• Daniel Volpi (engineering)
Latest University News
- Alumni Association awards 2025 Lennon Life PrizesThe Notre Dame Alumni Association recognized nine alumni clubs as recipients of the Lennon Life Prize — part of the Chuck and Joan Lennon Gospel of Life Initiative, a set of programs focused on encouraging the University’s dedicated network of clubs to uphold the value of life at all stages.
- Jenkins Center for Virtue Ethics receives grant to advance love-based ethical frameworkThe University of Notre Dame has received a $10 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to support a project titled Love and Social Transformation: Empowering Scholars and Social Innovators to Develop the Love Ethic.
- Notre Dame honors Carmi and Chris Murphy with 2025 Sorin AwardIn recognition of their contributions to the University of Notre Dame and service to the South Bend community, Carmi and Chris Murphy were presented with the 2025 Rev. Edward Frederick Sorin, C.S.C., Award on May 31 at the Alumni Association’s annual reunion celebration.
- In Memoriam: Sriram SomanchiSomanchi was a widely respected teacher and scholar whose research broke new ground in the academic landscape by drawing on social science and statistical machine learning to develop and deploy methods that bridge these related but distinct disciplines.
- Notre Dame announces next step for emerging tech and talent district in downtown South BendThe Tech and Talent District, a keystone of the city of South Bend’s Downtown South Bend 2045 plan, has advanced a step closer to implementation via a partnership between the University of Notre Dame and Ancora to pursue the development of the first phase of the district.
- Notre Dame opens new Washington Office to expand service and impact in nation’s capitalThe University of Notre Dame marked the opening of its new Washington, D.C., office with a blessing and dedication ceremony, highlighting the University’s growing presence in the nation’s capital.
