By Tom Musgrave
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2026) — Twelve University of Kentucky students and recent graduates have been awarded U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the country’s oldest graduate fellowship program directly supporting graduate students, recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in foundation-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions.
The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution.
This program is one of several scholarship opportunities UK’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards assists students in researching and applying for.
In 2026, the NSF awarded 2,500 fellowships.
The nine students receiving fellowships are:
- Mattie Katherine Brock, a chemical engineering doctoral student from Frankfort, Kentucky.
- Evelena Grace Cecil, an entomology doctoral student from Lexington.
- Grant Michael Fischer, a senior electrical engineering and Lewis Honors College student from Crescent Springs, Kentucky.
- Spencer Michael Goode-Kulchar, a senior electrical engineering student from Richmond, Kentucky.
- John Thomas Gribbins, a geological sciences master's student from Springfield, Kentucky.
- Aaron Lin, a senior computer science student from Lexington.
- Peyton McCubbin, a senior chemistry student from Campbellsville, Kentucky.
- Jenna Money, a mechanical engineering doctoral student from Shepherdsville, Kentucky.
- Jaesylin N. Stephens, a senior biology and Lewis Honors College student from Louisville.
The three alumni awarded fellowships are:
- Anna Baur, a 2025 biomedical engineering and Lewis Honors College graduate from Columbia, Illinois, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University.
- Hena Kachroo, a 2025 chemistry and Lewis Honors College graduate from Lexington, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in chemistry and astrobiology at the University of Washington.
- Gabriel Martin Suarez, a 2025 materials engineering and physics graduate from Danville, Kentucky, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in physics at Syracuse University.
Honorable mentions for the fellowship were Kiara Baker, a senior biology student; and Wynne Radcliffe, a 2024 biology and Lewis Honors College graduate.
Since 1952, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program has been a critical part of developing a globally engaged workforce necessary to ensure the nation's leadership in advancing science and engineering research and innovation.
To learn more about applying for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and other scholarship opportunities, visit the Nationally Competitive Awards website.
Learn more about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program online.