2024 Goldwater scholars announced

Hannah Barsouk

Hannah Barsouk is an undergraduate at Yale University. They hope to obtain a Ph.D. in biochemistry, conduct research exploring the molecular origins of life and mentor students as a university professor. Their mentors include Ronald Breaker, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and chair of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at Yale.

Taylor Bias

Taylor Bias is an undergraduate at Ball State University. She aims to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry, conduct research on protein–ligand interactions and teach at a university. Her mentor is Mary Konkle, an associate professor of chemistry at BSU.

Sarah Boyer

Sarah Boyer is an undergraduate at Mercer University. She plans to obtain a Ph.D. in biochemistry and study diseases that affect underprivileged populations. Her mentors include Garland Crawford, a professor and chair of chemistry at Mercer.

Grace DeCostanza

Grace DeCostanza is an undergraduate at Ursinus College. Her goals include earning a Ph.D. in synthetic chemistry and conducting research on metal-containing pharmaceuticals.

Marion Duval

Marion Duval is an undergraduate at Bucknell University. She hopes to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct research in biochemistry and autoimmunity. Her mentors include Sarah Smith, an assistant professor of chemistry at Bucknell.

Satvik Elayavalli

Satvik Elayavalli is an undergraduate at Emory University. He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in applied mathematics and conduct research at the intersection of machine learning and cancer biology in his own lab. His mentors include Emory faculty members Anita Corbett, a professor of biology, and Jennifer Spangle, an assistant professor of radiation oncology.

Aidan Miller

Aidan Miller is an undergraduate at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He hopes to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology, conduct research in virology and vaccinology and teach at a university. Miller’s mentors include Lea Michel, a professor of chemistry and materials science and the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at RIT.

Dylan Moran

Dylan Moran is an undergraduate at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Moran plans to obtain a Ph.D. in chemistry, conduct research on developing new reaction methodologies using bifunctional photocatalysts and teach at a university. His mentors include Lydia Contreras, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Texas.

Paul Nguyen

Paul Nguyen is an undergraduate at the University of South Alabama. He hopes to advance medicine and technology by obtaining an M.D./Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and studying the relationship between protein behavior and biomolecular aggregation and cancer.

Emma Rudisel

Emma Rudisel is an undergraduate at Hope College. She plans to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct research in industry on signaling pathways in cancer to find new therapeutic targets. Her mentors include Kristin Dittenhafer–Reed, an associate professor of chemistry at Hope.

Shelby Sliger

Shelby Sliger is an undergraduate at Purdue University. She hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in biochemistry, conduct research on cancer and epigenetics and teach at a university. Her mentors include Mark Hall, an associate professor of biochemistry at Purdue.

Sebastian Velez

Sebastian Velez is an undergraduate at Texas State University. He plans to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry and conduct biomedical research. Velez’s mentors include Karen Lewis, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at TXST.

Natalie Walsh

Natalie Walsh is an undergraduate at Saint Louis University. She hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in genetics or epigenetics, conduct research on the regulation of gene expression and epigenetic editing and teach at a university.