Two Recent University of Richmond Graduates Awarded Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Student Scholars
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Two recent University of Richmond graduates have received competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships to support their research in graduate school.
The prestigious NSF graduate fellowship provides three years of financial support to outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high-achieving scientists. Applicants must be pursuing full-time, research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in eligible STEM and social science fields.
University of Richmond’s awardees include:
Rilyn McKallip, a Richmond Scholar who graduated from the University of Richmond in 2023 and is currently a biomathematics Ph.D. student in the Department of Computational Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles. McKallip majored in mathematics and minored in biology and health studies at UR.
As an undergraduate, McKallip’s research was focused on mathematical biology, specifically, a model of antibiotic-resistant salmonella infections in industrial poultry populations. Her faculty mentors were mathematics professors Lester Caudill and Heather Russell.
Though her NSF graduate research fellow award in the mathematical biology competition, McKallip will be developing a model of viral transmission experiments which will hopefully allow us to better discern the relative infectivity of different diseases.
“I feel really honored to be chosen as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow,” McKallip said. “This award will allow me the flexibility to pursue interesting directions in my research without needing funding from additional responsibilities or external grants.”
Sophie Goldberg, a 2025 University of Richmond graduate, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at Harvard University. Goldberg, a chemistry major, received a Goldwater Scholarship while at UR.
As an undergraduate, Goldberg’s research was focused on organic chemistry, specifically small-molecule pharmaceutical design under the mentorship of chemistry professor Miles Johnson.
“I hope to pursue a career in industrial organic synthesis, specifically within the pharmaceutical industry,” Goldberg said during her junior year. “My research is rooted in the interplay between organic molecules and transition metal complexes, which is at the forefront of small molecule drug design. This work will help develop pharmaceuticals that are both cost-effective and sustainable.”
Two additional young alums, Josh Pandian (Class of 2023) and Andrew Watts (Class of 2025), received Honorable Mentions related to their NSF Graduate Research Fellowship applications, also considered a significant academic achievement.
“NSF graduate research fellowships highlight the caliber of our graduates and the research experiences our undergraduate students are able to complete alongside faculty,” said Ethan Knight, associate director in the Office of Scholars and Fellowships.
Since 1955, 118 UR graduating seniors or recent graduates have been either selected to receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships or been named an honorable mention.
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