Marcus Condarcure, a graduate student at Purdue University's Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Condarcure is one of 2,277 fellows named nationally this year and among 24 Purdue recipients — placing the university in the top 30 institutions out of 291 represented.

His research focuses on the design and optimization of photobioreactors to produce valuable biochemicals — work with broad implications for sustainable manufacturing and biotechnology. He conducts research under the co-advisement of professors Steven Beaudoin and John Morgan.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program recognizes outstanding graduate students pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The fellowship provides a five-year period of support, including three years of financial backing — an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution.

"This fellowship validates the importance of developing more efficient biological systems for producing biochemicals sustainably. Photobioreactors have tremendous potential, and this support allows me to push that work further than I could have otherwise." Condarcure said.

"Receiving an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is one of the highest honors a graduate student can earn, and Marcus has earned it. His research into optimizing photobioreactors sits at an exciting intersection of engineering and biotechnology, and this support will give him the resources and freedom to take that work to the next level," said John Morgan, professor of chemical engineering at Purdue.

The fellowship, awarded annually by NSF, is among the most competitive and respected graduate funding programs in the nation. For more information about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, visit nsfgrfp.org.