Three Recent Texas Science Graduates Receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards

Three recent alumni from The University of Texas at Austin received a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for 2025-2026. 

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers opportunities in all academic disciplines for graduating college seniors, graduate students and young professionals. Previous Fulbrighters include 62 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, 44 heads of state or government and thousands of leaders across the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Here are the College of Natural Sciences alumni who received this prestigious award.

Miriam Yampuler

Yampuler, who recently graduated with a bachelor of science in public health, will serve as an English teaching assistant in Madrid, Spain. She also hopes to become involved with community programs related to public health education, particularly those focused on youth and underserved populations, with additional funding. 

Yampuler said her belief in the power of language and education to foster understanding across cultures drove her to apply for a Fulbright. 

“I’ve always seen communication as central to care, whether it’s between patients and providers or across national and linguistic boundaries,” Yampuler said. “Growing up in a family that immigrated to the U.S. and getting involved in several international communities, the opportunity to teach and learn in a new context is deeply meaningful to me, both personally and professionally.”

Yampuler said this fellowship will support her goal of pursuing a career in medicine and public health. 

“Fulbright allows me to expand my cultural competence and deepen my understanding of how public systems serve communities, which I believe will make me a better advocate and leader,” she said. 

Thomas Wynn

Wynn, who graduated this spring with a double major in neuroscience and mathematics, will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to investigate lesser-known psychotic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. He will be designing an LLM-based interface that can screen for psychological biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease so physicians can intervene before further neurodegeneration occurs. 

Wynn said he is especially excited for the Fulbright as the lab he will be in offers an opportunity for interdisciplinary research. 

“I find the intersection of disciplines is where the most exciting research is done,” Wynn said. “The lab I have chosen is also located in Campus Biotech, Geneva, where researchers from many different fields – and many different countries – join forces to answer important questions in the health sciences.” 

Wynn, who studied non-invasive stimulation methods for Parkinson’s disease at UT Austin, said he sees his Fulbright award as an opportunity to continue working on personally meaningful research. 

“I have always thought of neurodegenerative diseases as one of the most tragic classes of diseases one could have; not only for the loss of memory and function, but for the slow erosion of one’s personality and humanity,” Wynn said. “Stories of my late grandfather forgetting his own sons have left deep impressions on me. This project will allow me to continue working towards researching solutions for patients facing Parkinson’s disease.”  

Allie Murphy 

Murphy, who graduated in 2024 with a bachelor of science in public health and is pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, will be conducting research in El Salvador and evaluating the effectiveness of the Ministry of Health’s decade-long teen pregnancy initiative.

Murphy will work with a researcher at the University of Gerardo Barrios to create surveys for teenage girls, educators and parents to understand their current knowledge and beliefs surrounding sexual education and pregnancy prevention. 

From conducting research on perinatal maternal groups for a Finland-based nonprofit in 2022 to interning in Guatemala through the UT Public Health department and creating recommendations for a nutrition curriculum for young mothers and their children last year, Murphy has a myriad of global health experiences. However, the Fulbright award will allow her to pursue a more immersive, in-depth research experience. 

“This is a project I created with my partners at UGB, while my previous internships were projects that were already going. I'm currently having to learn all the aspects of study design and the intricacies of implementing a project like this, especially abroad,” Murphy said.