Two UC Merced graduate students and an alum from the School of Natural Sciences were recently awarded fellowships from the highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
This year, NSF awarded 1,000 GRFP fellowships compared to about 2,000 in previous years.
NSF’s website notes that the program is the oldest of its kind and is known for selecting outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees and who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.
Peter Nguyen is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in Professor Jason Sexton's lab. He is also an affiliate researcher at the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
"It’s an absolute honor to receive the NSF GRFP, especially in such a challenging year,” he said. “This support allows me to focus on my research and move toward a career in academia. I hope to make a positive impact by contributing new knowledge to science and expanding our understanding of the natural world.
“This would not have been possible without the support of my mentors and collaborators."
Nguyen’s research in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program focuses on how plants adapt to drought — specifically Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy.
“I look at how plant traits, genetic variation and the microbes around their roots and in the rhizosphere (the root-associated microbial zone) help them survive in different environments,” he said. “This work helps us better understand how plants respond to climate stress, with applications in conservation, restoration and agriculture.”
Nguyen is also a U.S. Department of Energy RENEW Fellow and a 2022-23 UC Santa Cruz Earth Futures Institute Fellow.
Hashel Orquiz was also awarded the NSF GRFP. She will join Professor Michael Dawson’s research group this fall as a Ph.D. student in the Quantitative and Systems Biology Graduate Program. Orquiz earned her bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Texas, El Paso, where she studied patterns of hybridization in Arctic willows and analyzed gene expression associated with deterioration in tussock cottongrass, a foundational tundra species.
She credited participating in two NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduate programs with sparking her interest in marine science and ultimately inspiring her to pursue it at the graduate level.
UC Merced’s third GRFP recipient, Baldemar Motomochi, conducted research in life sciences and developmental biology on campus and received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. They are now a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley.
Recipients receive an annual stipend of $37,000 for three years, as well as professional development opportunities.
The campus also had four graduate students and five undergraduate alumni recognized with honorable mentions:
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Emma Brass, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UC Merced, is now a Ph.D. student at UC Irvine.
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Lynn Breithaupt earned a bachelor’s degree in organismal ecology and
evolution from California State University, Stanislaus, and is a Ph.D. student in Professor Jay Sexton’s lab at UC Merced. -
Saam Doroodian, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences at UC Merced, is an associate scientist at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
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Edith Gollub, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from UC Merced, will attend UC San Diego to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry and biochemistry.
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Charles Hu, who earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Merced, is a Ph.D. student in Earth system science at Stanford University.
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Kyle Magro, who received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from UC Merced, is a biomedical sciences Ph.D. student at UC San Diego.
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Katherina Martinez received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from California State University, Monterey Bay, and is a Ph.D. student in Professor Andy LiWang's lab at UC Merced.
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Alejandro Ramos Hurtado, who earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Davis, is a Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. student in Professor Matt Hutchinson’s lab at UC Merced.
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Mara Schwiesow, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Cornell College, is a Quantitative and Systems Biology Ph.D. student in Professor Maggie Sogin’s lab at UC Merced.
This support allows me to focus on my research and move toward a career in academia.
