NSF Graduate Research Fellowships and Honorable Mentions Awarded to 38 from Natural Sciences

This spring, the National Science Foundation awarded Graduate Research Fellowships and honorable mentions to Texas Science undergraduates, graduate students and recent alumni, including eight members of the college’s graduating class of 2025.  

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports exceptional students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM fields. Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 as well as a cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to conduct research at any accredited U.S. graduate school.

This year, nationwide about half the number of fellowships were awarded compared to prior years. Five from UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences received fellowships, and 14 other graduate students, along with 19 undergraduate students or recent alumni, were awarded honorable mentions. Below are the recipients, their fields of study and the research areas for which they received recognition.

2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Recipients 

• Elena Adams, Biology alum (B.S., ’22) — Ecology
• Lauren Allen, Chemistry alum (B.S., ’25) — Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanism 
• Alan Baade, Computer Science undergraduate student — Machine Learning 
• Sannidhya S. Desai, Physics alum (B.S., ’24)— Particle Physics 
• Raymond J. Park, Chemical Engineering/Mathematics alum (B.S., ’23) — Applied Mathematics  

2025 Honorable Mentions 

• Ryan Russo, Biochemistry alum (B.S., ’23)— Chemical Catalysis 
• Cristobal Antonio Lopez, Chemistry graduate student — Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Mechanism 
• Lauren B. Kimberly, Chemistry graduate student — Chemistry of Life Processes 
• Bryant Shaoheng Fang, Computer Science graduate student — Artificial Intelligence 
• Jasper Lee, Computer Science and Mathematics alum (B.S., ’25) — Formal Methods, Verification and Programming Languages
• Aniruddh Sriram, Computer Science/Mathematics alum (B.S., ’24) — Natural Language Processing 
• Ronak Ramachandran, Computer Science graduate student — Quantum Information Science
• William Yue, Computer Science/Mathematics alum (B.S., ’24)— Robotics
• Simone G. Ritchey, Biochemistry alum (B.S., ’22) — Biochemistry 
• Teresa Sara Martinez, Biology alum (B.S., ’23) — Ecology 
• Ethan W. Yu, Biochemistry alum (B.S., ’24) — Organismal Biology 
• Maxximus Ganesh Ramsaroop, Ecology, Evolution & Behavior graduate student — Animal Behavior 
• Sarah Abigail Muh, Ecology, Evolution & Behavior graduate student — Ecology, Evolution & Behavior 
• Steven Y. Wang, Ecology, Evolution & Behavior graduate student — Systematics and Biodiversity
•  Sandy T. Nguyen, Biology alum (B.S., ’25) — Systems and Molecular Biology 
• Delisa Andrea Ramos, Biology alum (B.S., ’20) - Systems and Molecular Biology
• John Teague, Mathematics graduate student — Topology 
• Marissa Perry, Astronomy alum (B.S., ’25) — Astronomy and Astrophysics 
• Ananya Kaalva, Astronomy and Physics alum (B.S., ’25)— Astronomy and Astrophysics 
• Zorayda Martinez, Astronomy graduate student — Astronomy and Astrophysics 
• Trevor Erwin, Astronomy and Physics alum (B.S., ’24) — Astronomy and Astrophysics 
• Henry R. Chance, Physics graduate student — Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
• Jordan Elizabeth Thomas, Physics and Astronomy alum (B.S., ’25) — Particle Physics 
• Sofia Grace Helpert, Physics alum (B.S., ’20) — Physics of Living Systems 
• Chris Jia, Physics and Astronomy alum (B.S., ’25) — Plasma Physics 
• Hebah S. Goderya, Physics and Electrical & Computer Engineering alum (B.S., ’23) — Quantum Information Science
• Lawrence Francis Teng, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education graduate student — Mathematics Education
• Khusbu Rakesh Dalal, Physics alum (B.S., ’22) — Science Education
• John Edgar Hinkle, Marine Science graduate student — Geobiology
• Sophia A. Bibb, Neuroscience alum (B.S.A., ’21) — Cognitive Neuroscience
• Lourdes Sofia Romanach Alvarez, Human Development and Family Sciences graduate student — Human Development and Family Sciences 
• Stephanie Castro, Human Development and Family Sciences graduate student — Developmental Psychology
• Ashley L. Humphries, Neuroscience alum (B.S.A., ’23) — Social/Affective Neuroscience