Past NSF Winners

This list shows only the winners. Students can apply as undergraduates (usually seniors) or in their first couple years of graduate school. If the student receives a fellowship as an undergraduate they can go to another institution, which is why the current Institution is not always the University of Utah.

For Departments:
Materials Research = Materials Science and Engineering
Comp/IS/Eng = School of Computing

NAME	BACCALAUREATE INSTITUTION	FIELD OF STUDY	CURRENT INSTITUTION
2022
Abhyankar, Devaki	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Duffy, Hannah	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Falconer, Robert	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Hancock, Cleo	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Larsen, Shaylee	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Ortiz, Nathan	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Simonson, Andrew	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Thomson, Caleb	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
2021
Schwehr, Trevor Joseph	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Quah, Titus Shiao Wen	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Lapins, Chantel Katrina	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Howard, Jerry Robert	University of Utah	Materials Research – Computationally Intensive Research	University of Utah
Hall, Kaitlin	University of Utah	Engineering – Electrical and Computer Engineering	University of Utah
Gibbs, Chelsea Elizabeth	University of Utah	Engineering – Bioengineering	University of Washington
Cottle, Brian K	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Archibald, Isabella	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
2020
Van der Merwe, Mark Jacob	University of Utah	Comp/IS/Eng – Robotics and Computer Vision	University of Utah
Truong, Takara Everest	University of Utah	Comp/IS/Eng – Robotics and Computer Vision	University of Utah
Rupp, Lindsay Cecala	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Patterson, Ashlea	University of Utah	Engineering – Materials Engineering
Olsen, Nathaniel Ray	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Fauver, Carlisle William	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	Texas A&M University Main Campus
Beatty, Danielle	University of Utah	Engineering – Materials Engineering	University of Utah
2019
Quah, Timothy Shiao Yong	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
2018
Walter, Lindsay	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Stephenson, Regan Elizabeth	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	Cornell University
Johnson, Kara Ann	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
Iversen, Marta Marie	University of Utah	Engineering – Bioengineering	University of Utah
Black, Shana Rae	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	University of Utah
AMIN JAVAHERI, SAYED IMAN	University of Utah	Engineering – Materials Engineering	UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
2017
Tuttle, Jacob Fred	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Shimpi, Adrian	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical Engineering	CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Shaskey, Cedric	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical Engineering	University of Utah
Helms, Phillip Laurence	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering
2016
Puga, Melissa	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Utah
Pruss, Danielle	University of Utah	Comp/IS/Eng – Computational Science and Engineering	University of Utah
Banisadr, Afsheen	University of Utah	Engineering – Bioengineering	University of California-San Diego
2015
Young, Tessora	University of Utah	Engineering – Chemical Engineering	University of Washington
Webb, Jonathan Taylor	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical	University of Texas at Austin
Noble, Brooklyn Ann	University of Utah	Engineering – Mechanical	University of Utah
Jensen, Mark Martin	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical	University of Utah
Hansen, Kyle Rollins	University of Utah	Engineering – Biomedical	Boston University
Gardner, Avery Tye	University of Utah	Engineering – Electrical and Computer	University of Utah
Evans, Annicka Carter	University of Utah	Engineering – Bioengineering	William Marsh Rice University

Post-Doc Fellowship and Job Opportunities

To request changes or additions to this list please email Professor Tony Butterfield.

Also see the information posted at the U’s Office of Sponsored Project’s website.

OPPORTUNITY	DEADLINE	DETAILS
Science of Signature Program	January 16	2 week professional development program at LANL for Ph.D. students and post-docs; U.S. citizens and permanent residents
National Academies Research Associateship Programs	4 times a year, depending on the opportunity	Generous stipend (some opportunities offer a base stipend of $77k and a travel allotment). Some opportunities open only to U.S. citizens.
National Science Foundation Post-Doc Opportunities	Varied	Varied
Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship	November	U.S. citizens and nationals; for postdocs planning a teaching and research career at a university; $40k
National Science Biomedical Research Institute	June	Two-year award, with an option for a third year; for scientists or physician-scientists in any lab in the U.S. conducting biomedical/biotechnological research aligned with NSBRI’s goals; $42,500 stipend for the first year along with health insurance
NASA Postdoctoral Program Opportunities	Varied	Varied
Technische Universitat Munchen Research Opportunities	May	Spend a year in Germany in a postdoctoral position with a TUM University Foundation Fellowship
Oak Ridge National Lab Opportunities	Varied	One year and short-term opportunities available; citizenship not required
National Energy Technology Laboratory	Varied	Varied
UNCF MERCK Science Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowships	December	African Americans; fellowships up to $92k; Ph.D. or equivalent in biological chemical or engineering fields
Sandia National Labs Post-Doc Positions	Varied	For those who have completed a doctoral degree within the past 3 years; Sandia provides support through a Postdoctoral Professional Development Program ((PD)2P; includes a comprehensive benefits package, including health insurance, vacation, paid holidays, and relocation assistance.
Sandia National Labs Truman Fellowship	November 1	For Ph.D. graduates (within the past 3 years) with research in areas of interest to national security; Minimum GPAs of 3.5/4.0 (undergrad) and 3.7/4.0 (graduate) preferred; ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Department of Energy security clearance; no previous post-doc appts. at a national lab; salary of ~$110k with a benefits package
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education	Varied	For recent Ph.D. graduates in science or engineering
National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) First Award Fellowship Program	June	Two Year awards; ~$43k stipend plus health insurance allowance
L’Oreal USA for Women in Science Fellowships	May	For female Ph.D. graduates; American born, naturalized citizen, or permanent resident; grants up to $60k each
Jack Eddy Postdoctoral Fellowships	January	For Ph.D. graduates (within the past 3 years); two-year fellowship; for training the next generation of Heliophysics researchers
Rowland Junior Fellows Program	November	For Ph.D. graduates (within the past 3 years); fellowship term is for up to 5 years; for experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering; $65k+ / year; at Harvard

Student Application Guide for Fellowships

Earning a high GPA is not enough or necessarily required to be awarded a fellowship.  Students with lower GPAs often earn fellowships over 4.0 students by gaining the right experiences.   Instead, focus on earning good grades while also:

• Serving in leadership positions.
• Actively participating in research. Make sufficient progress on your research such that you can be considered the lead person for part or all of a research project.
• Publish papers and present at conferences.
• Volunteering and community outreach.
• Strengthening your academic network (in particular, help faculty get to know you so that they may be better equipped to write you strong letters of recommendation for your applications; also attend guest lectures to broaden your knowledge and network).
• Sitting on committees and learning how the academic world works from the inside.

Start your applications early (several months in advance)!  Solicit feedback on your application materials from both engineers and non-engineers.  Thoroughly rewrite your essays at least 5 – 10 times or more.

Keep in mind that reviewers usually need to judge a large number of applications and will likely not spend very long on any individual application unless it quickly appears to be truly competitive.  Grab the attention of the reader early (as in the first sentence and especially the first paragraph).  Consider that serving as a reviewer can be tedious work, so try to make your application a breath of fresh air for the reviewer and stand out from the other applications in positive ways. Write such that your readers get excited about what you are proposing and / or about the promise of what you might accomplish in your studies and future career. Help them feel the excitement you feel.

Importantly, make sure to follow each and every application instruction. Consider using at least a 12-point font even if smaller fonts are permitted in order to make it easier for the reviewer to read your application (especially older reviewers).

Carefully consider the eligibility criteria for the fellowship program before preparing an application. For example, note that senior undergraduate students and both first AND second year graduate students can apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Some students do not realize that they can apply to this program during the second year of their graduate studies, and they miss an opportunity to compete.

Look at example winning essays either in person in Prof. Simpson’s office, or elsewhere online!

Suggestions for a personal essay (intellectual autobiography):

• Take full advantage of the space provided to you to write your essay, but don’t cram text into the space by using small font or small line spacing.
• Do not just write a chronology of your accomplishments / experiences. Instead, organize your accomplishments / experiences into 3-5 points that you want to convey to the reader.
• Along the same lines, do not just list what you’ve accomplished.  Instead, describe what you learned from your experiences and emphasize what impact you made.
• Demonstrate leadership and outcomes of your leadership.  For example, do not just state that you held office.  What changed or improved because you held that office?  What did you learn from holding that office?
• What outreach activities have you participated in or led? What impact did these activities have (on you and/or the other people)?
• Discuss your career goals. If you’re applying for a research fellowship, you will likely want to emphasize that you plan to pursue a research career (that may or may not also involve teaching, etc.). Try to be as specific as possible without being too specific (do not specify a certain company / national lab / or university you want to work for). Would you rather work in academia or industry?

Suggestions for a research proposal / essay:

• Understand what the fellowship reviewers are expecting. For example, if you are applying to the NSF GRFP, don’t write your research proposal like a normal NSF or NIH grant. You need to sell yourself in your application and research proposal more than you need to sell your research idea.
• Convince reviewers that both you and your work deserve funding (but mostly that YOU deserve the funding).
• Convince them that you possess or will quickly learn all of the necessary skills to achieve your goals.
• Convey the importance of what you plan to work on. The panelists will consider that you may not actually perform the actual research you are proposing (depending on where you decide to go to school, whether you’re already in graduate school or not and are working in a research lab, etc.). As such, you need to convey that you are capable of formulating a strong scientific question, and that you have the necessary background to answer that question (or will get it), etc.
• Demonstrate that your methodology is sound.
• Show that you have an adequate plan and time to conduct the research.
• Demonstrate, if possible, that you are capable of working both independently and as part of a team.

Suggestions / Information Specific to the NSF GRFP:

For 2014, the NSF GRFP received 14,000 applications, and they made about 2,000 awards (of which 1,069 are women, 382 are from underrepresented minority groups, 55 are persons with disabilities, and 37 are veterans).

Carefully consider and address the suggestions / questions listed on the following NSF GRFP website when writing your essays: Application Materials. Also consider the merit review criteria listed at: Merit Review Criteria.

Look at previous winning NSF GRFP essay examples, such as those posted here (only available to users on the University of Utah campus) or on Alex Lang’s NSF website (google it).

Here are the documents we will be using at the workshop (see Events section):
Personal Statement_Fellowships_template
Personal Statements Workshop_ Fellowships_ThinkSheet
Essay Examples We Will Discuss in the Workshop — Note, NSF has changed the personal statement length to 3 pages.
PDF of the Workshop Slides (1st Session)
PDF of the Workshop Slides (2nd Session)

Events

Each Fall, the Office of Fellowships will hold a fellowship essay writing workshop for students (faculty and staff are also encouraged to attend). Special emphasis will be on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, although the workshop material will be applicable to most fellowship applications. In Fall 2016, a 2-hour (2-part session) fellowship writing workshop will be held:

• Part 1: September 15th, 2016, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, in WEB L114
• Part 2: September 22nd, 2016, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, in WEB L114

In these sessions, we will analyze previous winning essays, discuss best practices, brainstorm ideas and organization of your own essay, etc. Part 2 will build on Part 1.

Note, you can look at previous winning NSF GRFP essay examples, such as those posted here (only available to users on the University of Utah campus) or on Alex Lang’s NSF website (google it).

Here are the documents we will be using at the workshop, in case we run out of hard copies:
Personal Statement_Fellowships_template
Personal Statements Workshop_ Fellowships_ThinkSheet
Essay Examples We Will Discuss in the Workshop — Note, NSF has changed the personal statement length to 3 pages.

Information for Faculty

First and foremost, please encourage your students to apply for fellowships!

Here are some ways that you may be helped by your students winning fellowships:

• Fellowships can help save your research dollars by providing student stipends, tuition, etc.
• Student fellowships help improve the image and name recognition of your lab, the Department, and the College of Engineering.
• With fellowship-winning students in your lab, you are more likely to attract more students with fellowships. Also, you will understand better how to help your current/future students build winning applications.
• Some fellowships lead directly to great job opportunities with the funding agency for your student after he/she graduates (NASA, DoD, etc.).
• Some fellowships provide summer internships during which students can continue their research at an agency, where they can both receive additional mentoring and build new research ideas, all while earning a salary from that agency (typically higher than what faculty can pay students).
• You can expand your network and contacts by interacting with the funding agency and your student’s research collaborators.
• When your students succeed, you succeed.

Please help even undergraduates students gain valuable research experience so that they may be more competitive for national and international fellowships.  Consider giving them credit or paying them to help you or your graduate students with research projects.  It may be very advantageous for both you and the student if you can provide them a project or part of a project in your lab that they can have a sense of ownership over and run with (perhaps after some trial period). For faculty with NSF grants, consider applying for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) award.

To help your students better compete for national and international fellowships, it is vital that you contribute a strong letter of recommendation to their application when letters are requested.  Writing strong recommendation letters for fellowship applications is an art and requires focusing more, for example, on how the student is going to be a future leader and can perform original research, rather than how thoughtful they are or that they got an “A” in your class, etc.  The Office of Fellowships keeps an archive of strong examples of letters of recommendation for various fellowship competitions from previous winning application packages.  Please stop by the Office in person to view these example letters. Also note that many fellowship opportunities have FAQs for reference writers (such as the NSF FAQs for Reference Writers)

Faculty are also encouraged to register to serve as a reviewer for student fellowship competitions.  By serving as a reviewer, you can both help select our future leaders while also gaining a valuable perspective that you can share with your students and fellow faculty to help them build more competitive applications.  Please look at the bottom of this page for more information on how to register to serve as a reviewer for some competitions.

Finally, do not forget to inform the Office of Fellowships when one of your students is awarded a fellowship!

 

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Information on how to register to serve as a review panelist for:

• DOD
  Visit  http://panelists.asee.org to enter your profile information into the database.  Note that creating this profile does not commit you to anything, and formal invitations are sent to only a portion of those in the database.

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)
  Visit https://www.nsfgrfp.org/reviewers/ 
  Note that creating this profile does not commit you to anything, and formal invitations go to only a portion of those in the database.   Invitations to serve are sent out in early Sept./Oct. The panel reviews occur in early January. Starting in 2014, all of the reviews and panels will be conducted online (no travel is required). The reviews are of student applications, consisting of essays and support materials similar to those submitted in graduate school applications.  The research proposal is a two-page essay.