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Student & Campus Life

Cornell students win competitive fellowships in Spring 2026

Cornell students and staff pose together with medals and certificates at a Student & Campus Life recognition event.
Cornell students gather to celebrate fellowship achievements in spring 2026.

By Laura Gallup

This past Spring, many Cornell students and alumni were awarded fellowships, competitive opportunities that fund graduate study, research, service projects and global experiences.

Interested in pursuing a nationally competitive fellowship? The Office of National Fellowships helps Cornell students and alumni identify opportunities, strengthen their applications, and prepare for every stage of the process. Learn more or schedule an appointment by visiting the office in 100 Barnes Hall.

Undergraduates:

  • Four Cornellians were named recipients of the highly competitive Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. Read more about the winners from our department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. 
    • Angela Bao ’27 (chemistry and mathematics, A&S) conducts research in theoretical and computational chemistry, focusing on semiclassical and nonadiabatic methods for modeling quantum dynamics in molecular systems. She plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical chemistry and develop new mathematical frameworks for understanding complex chemical dynamics.
    • Ryan Lombardi shakes hands with a student while presenting a certificate and medal at a Cornell fellowship recognition ceremony.Ethan Song ’28 (chemistry, A&S) is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry. His career and research goal is to leverage computational tools to develop catalytic organic reactions as a professor at a research-intensive university.
    • Neer Metha ’28 (mathematics , A&S) is passionate about using mathematics to research interdisciplinary problems, particularly at the intersection of AI, sciences, and social sciences.
    • Huck Friedman ’28 (Presidential Research Scholar, Cornell CALS) works in the molecular biology and genetics department at Cornell, and has recently established a collaborative project with a lab at Harvard to design a programmable gene silencing technology in human cells. He hopes to spend his career developing novel therapeutic approaches to genetic diseases and cancer.

“The Goldwater Scholarship means the opportunity to explore exciting research questions and connect applied mathematics with AI to solve real-world problems.” - Neer Metha ’28 

  • Trisha Bhujle ’26 (Environment & Sustainability, Cornell CALS) is a winner of the Princeton in Africa fellowship with Enveritas in Uganda. She plans to spend a year with a local partner in Africa as she while working toward a future career in international development in a Swahili-speaking region. 
  • Casey Platkin '26 (ILR School) is the recipient of the Rotary Global Grant. She will use this experience to pursue a master’s of philosophy in economic sociology at the University of Cambridge this fall. She is looking forward to continuing her research on how emerging technologies - particularly algorithmic management - will shape the future of work.
  • Laurel Whidden ’26 (Global and public health science, Human Ecology, CHE) was awarded the Saint Andrew’s Society of the State of New York scholarship to pursue Medical Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Her work sits at the intersection of medical anthropology, climate justice and the arts. Laurel will carry her Scottish heritage forward as she continues her work in health equity and community-rooted care.

“Winning the St. Andrew’s Society Scholarship means more to me than overcoming financial barriers to pursue a degree in medical anthropology - it is a path back to myself, to my lineage and my people. As I walk it, I will fight for social justice and health equity with renewed strength, building solidarity rooted in local knowledge and lived experience.” - Laurel Whidden ’26

  • A student in a suit smiles while talking with another student at a Cornell fellowship recognition ceremony.Aniket Martins, ’27 (mechanical engineering, Duffield Engineering) was awarded the Hertog War Studies Fellowship. Martins is an Air Force ROTC cadet pursuing a commission in the U.S. Space Force. He hopes this experience will deepen his understanding of how strategic decisions are made in war, particularly the relationship between military operations and political objectives
  • Nicholas Vega ’26 (History, A&S) was named a Yenching Scholar at Peking University where he will pursue a Master’s in China studies. He is interested in global early modern history, especially Sino-European cultural exchange. At Yenching, Vega will concentrate in history and archeology, and hopes to further explore the long intellectual history between China and Europe in the early modern period and beyond.
  • Cornell had 64 Cornell undergraduate winners of NSF-GRFP and 28 honorable mentions. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is one of the nation's most prestigious fellowship programs, providing three years of financial support, over five years, to graduate students who have demonstrated potential for significant achievements in research. Cornell’s excellence in STEM education prepares students particularly well for this award.

Alumni:

  • Vivian Utti ’19 (computational biology, Cornell CALS) joined the 2026 cohort of Knight-Hennessy scholars. Utti is pursuing a PhD in biomedical data science at Stanford School of Medicine concurrently with an MD at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her work focuses on advancing medical innovation through data-driven systems and AI-enabled healthcare decision-making. She is committed to building a future where artificial intelligence, life sciences, and clinical innovation come together to deliver personalized, equitable care regardless of geography.
  • Gloria Oladipo ’21 (government, Arts & Sciences) was awarded the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship to pursue an MFA in playwriting at Yale University. As a playwright, critic, and journalist, her work explores the complexities of love, family and identity through sharp, genre-blending Black comedies. Oladipo’s goal is to be a ‘genre-less artist,’ working in multiple mediums (theater, film, television) while maintaining creative control over her projects and path. 
  • Sabrina Chow ‘25 (biological sciences, A&S) was invited to be one of the University of Chicago Harris Social Impact inaugural fellows. She is a computational ecologist and uses remote sensing, ecological modeling, and large-scale data analysis to study ecosystem dynamics and environmental change. Her work reflects a broader interest in understanding how climate change affects ecosystems and how humans can mitigate those impacts. She hopes to use computational methods and remote sensing to improve pollution detection and environmental enforcement.