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Recipients of Spring 2020 Funding

Access to Excellence, Award for Graduate Research, Dean's Scholar, Graduate Mentoring, and the Provost's Graduate Internship Award

The Graduate College is pleased to announce the winners of five vernal competitions: the Access Fellowship (retention); Award for Graduate Research (spring competition); the Dean's Scholar Fellowship; the Graduate Mentoring Award; and the Provost's Graduate Internship Award. Winners of the Public Service Graduate Internship Award (PSGIA) will be announced soon after the competition closes on May 6th.

Recipients have been notified. Please note that the Graduate College reserves the authority to announce additional winners if funding can be secured.

Access to Excellence Fellowship (retention round) Heading link

The goal of the Access to Excellence Fellowship is to increase the number of students from historically underrepresented groups in graduate education who enter careers as researchers and college faculty. (There are two competitions: the recruitment-round recipients were announced earlier; below are the retention-round recipients.)
Last Name First Name Dept/Program
Hernandez Atanacio Philosophy
Martensen Kayla Criminology, Law, and Justice
OjiNjideka Hemphill Nefertiti Kinesiology

AGR and Deiss/AGR Heading link

The Graduate College’s longest-running support for research by graduate students, the AGR, effective Fall 2018, funds three categories: research travel, summer research stipend, and materials/supplies. The W.C. and May Preble Deiss Fund for Biomedical Research Award funds research in clinical or basic medical science.
Last Name First Name Dept/Program
Adibfar Leili Art History
Barque Falguera Anna Physiology& Biophysics (GEMS)
Chatterjee Rukmava MIE
Chidambara Kani Nishithan Balaji Chemical Engineering
Ewald Carl History
Finestrat-Martinez Irene Hispanic Studies
Garrett Carl Sociology
Hashemi Astaneh Sarah Chemical Engineering
Kim Hyungkyung Nursing
Kim Janis Kinesiology
Lenzini Stephen BioE
Motlagh Laleh Art
Park Sungwon Nursing
Ridge William Anthropology
Suemnicht Kevin Anthropology
Wenzel Elizabeth Psychology

Dean's Scholar Fellowship Heading link

The Dean’s Scholar Fellowship is intended to provide the most distinguished, advanced-level graduate students with a period of time dedicated solely to the completion of their programs.
Last Name First Name Dept/Program
Ahmadianyazdi Alireza Mechanical Engineering
Arican Alize Anthropology
Franklin Almethia CLJ
Fuladi Shadi Physics
Gómez-Bahamón Valentina BioS-Ecology and Evolution
Kim Jun Young Philosophy
Koster Kevin Neuroscience
Lenzini Stephen BioE
Majumdar Sohini History
Rousseva Nicoletta Art History
Sokolowski Karol Biopharm Sci
Tafolar Mine Political Science

Graduate Mentoring Award Heading link

Graduate Mentoring Awards are designed to encourage and award excellence and innovation in all aspects of graduate mentoring.
Last Name First Name Rank/Title Department Division
Bhatt Tanvi Associate Professor Physical Therapy Life Sciences
Parker-Katz Michelle Clinical Professor Special Education Behavioral and Social Sciences
Reyzin Lev Associate Professor Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences
Schlipphacke Heidi Associate Professor Germanic Studies Arts and Humanities

Provost's Graduate Internship Award Heading link

The Provost’s Graduate Internship Award (PGIA) incentivizes graduate students to independently identify short (3-month) internship opportunities that might lead to employment following graduation.
Last Name First Name Dept/Program Host
Beaudreau Kimberly History RefugeeOne
Britt Krystal Anthro Field Museum
Coliaie Paria Chemical E AbbVie
DaViera Andrea Psychology Cure Violence Global
Hofstra Amy Urban Planning and Policy PACE
Magers Daniel English Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
Maher Elizabeth History Access Living
Martin-O’Brien Hannah French and Francophone Studies Newberry
Penfil Rachael Anthro Field Museum
Psimogiannou Katerina Anthro Field Museum
Riddle Lucas Germanic Studies UIC Office of Global Engagement
Scalvedi Caterina History Maison des journalistes (MDJ)
Schaefer Ben Anthro Field Museum
Shepp Veronica CLJ SWOP-Chicago
Sherchan Dipti Anthro Siddhartha Arts Foundation
Warrier Niranjana Philosophy University of Illinois Press
Zanchi Luisa Hispanic & Italian Studies University of Illinois Press