The National Science Foundation announced it awarded 2,500 Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2026–2027 academic year to outstanding graduate students across the United States pursuing research-based degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Among this year’s recipients are four students from Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering: Jessica Prakash, Nathan Petrucci, Deniz Eksioglu and Giada Antonia Brandes.

Eksioglu and Petrucci, both fourth-year undergraduate students in the Weldon School, were awarded the fellowship ahead of their graduate school enrollment in the fall. Prakash is currently a first-year graduate student in the laboratory of associate professor of biomedical engineering, Luis Solorio. Brandes is a first-year graduate student with associate professor of biomedical engineering, Deva Chan. 

The fellowship offers were made following a highly competitive selection process that drew nearly 14,000 applicants nationwide, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Recipients were chosen based on intellectual merit and broader impacts, including their potential to contribute to scientific innovation.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for graduate students. It provides three years of financial support over a five-year period to individuals who demonstrate strong potential for significant research achievements.

For more than 75 years, the program has helped develop the nation’s STEM workforce, supporting emerging leaders whose work advances scientific discovery and innovation.

The 2026–2027 cohort spans a broad range of disciplines, including engineering, computer and information science, mathematical and physical sciences, geosciences, biological sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and STEM education. Recipients’ research interests align with key national priorities such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science, biotechnology and nuclear technology.