The University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science is proud to recognize the six scholars who are National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardees this year. This program honors outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines, providing three years of financial support including an annual stipend and a cost-of-education allowance.
In addition to these awardees, more than a dozen UVA Engineering students and alumni received honorable mentions in the competitive program.
The NSF awarded 1,000 GRFP fellowships this year, a decrease of more than 50 percent versus prior years.
"I am proud to recognize the UVA Engineering students who were awarded the GRFP fellowship this year, especially given that the process was even more competitive than usual," said UVA Engineering Dean Jennifer L. West.
Read on to learn more about the scholars who earned this year's fellowships as well as those who received honorable mentions.
Current Students
Jacob Kennedy
Ph.D. Student, Chemical Engineering
Jacob Kennedy is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, where he designs nanoparticle surfaces for targeted cancer drug delivery. His work blends scientific innovation with personal purpose, as he draws inspiration from family experiences with cancer. Kennedy also organizes research and networking events to connect students and support their professional growth.
“My research is exciting science, but it’s also deeply personal,” Kennedy said. “I’ve lost family members to cancer, and this work feels like a way to honor them.”
Awards and Activities: Chemical Engineering Graduate Board
Faculty Adviser: David Green
Malcolm O’Malley
Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Engineering
Malcolm O’Malley is completing his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at UVA, where his research explores how the immune and cardiovascular systems interact. He plans to lead a pharmaceutical research lab focused on therapeutic strategies for heart disease, combining computational and experimental methods.
“One of the highlights of my time at UVA has been presenting my research at my first immunology conference at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York,” O’Malley said. “Being surrounded by researchers from around the world who are pushing the boundaries of science was incredibly inspiring. Attending CSHL made me realize how far I’ve come and how much more there is to discover.”
Awards and Activities: National Institutes of Health predoctoral T32 Institutional National Research Service Award, through the UVA Beirne B. Carter Immunology Training Grant, GEM Ph.D. Fellowship sponsored by NASA, NASA Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Research, BME Academic Commitment to Excellence (ACE) Fellowship
Faculty Adviser: Jeffrey Saucerman
Savannah Horowitz
Ph.D. Student, Materials Science and Engineering
Savannah Horowitz is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, where she studies the corrosion-fatigue behavior of aluminum alloys. Her academic background in materials science and metallurgy sparked a strong interest in corrosion research, which she now pursues at UVA through experimental and community-engaged work.
“Presenting my research at UVERS in my first year was a turning point,” Horowitz said, referring to UVA Engineering's annual graduate student research symposium. “It introduced me to UVA’s engineering community and gave me the confidence to see myself as part of it.”
Awards and Activities: Olsen Graduate Fellowship, NASF/AESF Graduate Scholarship, Cat Action Team
Faculty Adviser: Robert G. Kelly
Graduating Students
Connor Sandall
Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2025
Undergraduate student Connor Sandall graduated from UVA this spring with a degree in biomedical engineering and plans to begin a Ph.D. program in molecular engineering at the University of Chicago. His undergraduate experience included meaningful research opportunities, including presenting at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
“In Los Angeles, it was very exciting to show off the results I had obtained from my project, and I also had a ton of fun meeting other people in the field and seeing all of the cool work that’s going on,” Sandall said.
Long term, he hopes to pursue a research career, potentially in academia.
Awards and Activities: Double Hoo Award, Paleontology Club at UVA (PacUVA)
Faculty Advisers and Mentors: Keith Kozminski, Lukas Tamm | Additional Mentors: Katie Kraichely
Incoming Students
Kay Russi
Incoming Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Engineering
Kay Russi will join UVA Engineering this fall as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she will conduct research in the lab of Nancy and Neal Wade Professor of Engineering & Applied Science Richard J. Price. Russi is a 2025 graduate of Clemson University with a B.S. in biomedical engineering.
Kerrin O’Grady
Incoming Ph.D. Student, Biomedical Engineering
Kerrin O’Grady, a 2025 graduate of Syracuse University with a B.S. in biomedical engineering, will begin her Ph.D. studies at UVA this fall under the mentorship of assistant professor Christopher B. Highley in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Honorable Mentions
Muskan Aslam, biomedical engineering graduate student
Andrew Balch, computer science undergraduate student
Juliana Claire Bates, biomedical engineering graduate student
Zachery Boner, computer science graduate student
Maria Ana Cardei, computer science graduate student
Michael Cardei, computer science graduate student
Samuel Timothy Doak, chemical engineering graduate student
Olivia Ernst, biomedical engineering graduate student
Alexi Gladstone, undergraduate alumnus
Sarah Patricia Hall, undergraduate alumnus
Danielle Klunk, biomedical engineering graduate student
Madaline R. Marland, undergraduate alumnus
Lavie Ngo, biomedical engineering graduate student
Mary O’Sullivan, biomedical engineering graduate student
Deborah Wood, undergraduate alumnus
Jasmina Y. Zeineddine, biomedical engineering graduate student