College of Engineering welcomes 38 incoming graduate fellows
The Purdue University College of Engineering has named 38 incoming graduate students as Lambertus Doctoral and Graduate Excellence Fellows, recognizing exceptional academic achievement and strong potential to advance engineering research and innovation.
The Lambertus Doctoral and Graduate Excellence Fellowships are awarded to highly competitive incoming graduate students whose academic records, research experience and leadership promise position them to make meaningful contributions to Purdue Engineering’s research enterprise. Fellows are selected through a rigorous selection process and represent the very best of the college’s incoming graduate cohort.
“These students exemplify the excellence and ambition we seek in Purdue Engineering graduate education,” said Tamara Kinzer-Ursem, associate dean of graduate and professional education. “Lambertus Fellows strengthen our research community from the moment they arrive, and they play an important role in advancing discovery, innovation and impact across the college.”
The 2026 Lambertus Doctoral and Graduate Excellence Fellows span multiple schools and departments within the College of Engineering and will pursue research across a wide range of areas, including advanced manufacturing, biomedical engineering, computing and data science, materials and nanotechnology, energy and sustainability, robotics and complex engineered systems. As they begin their graduate studies, fellows will work closely with faculty mentors and join interdisciplinary research teams addressing pressing societal and technological challenges.
“Receiving the Lambertus Doctoral and Graduate Excellence Fellowships is incredibly meaningful to me because it gives me the freedom to begin my PhD focused fully on research, growth, and contributing to the Purdue community,” said Giovanni De Geronimo, an incoming PhD student in electrical and computer engineering (ECE). “I am especially excited to continue at Purdue because of the strength of the ECE program, the collaborative research environment and the opportunity to work on problems at the intersection of AI, machine learning and computer engineering. Purdue has already played a major role in shaping me as an engineer and researcher, and I am grateful for the chance to continue that development at the doctoral level.”
“It is an honor to be a recipient of the Lambertus Doctoral and Graduate Excellence Fellowships,” said Gabrielle LeFevre, an incoming PhD student in materials engineering. “I am grateful for the flexibility that this fellowship provides, and I am certain it will help advance my scientific career. With its collaborative culture and impactful research programs, Purdue has an established reputation for excellence that will ensure a rigorous and transformative training that I am excited to partake in.”
The Lambertus Fellowship helps attract top talent to the College of Engineering and accelerates progress on high-impact research initiatives. Collectively, the fellows reflect Purdue Engineering’s commitment to excellence in graduate education, mentorship, and preeminent research impact.