Presidential Fellows & Scholars Announced
By Emily Stimmel
Carnegie Mellon University has named its Presidential Fellows and Scholars for the 2016-2017 academic year. The group includes 22 undergraduate and graduate students in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
CMU President Subra Suresh launched the Presidential Fellowship and Scholarship Program in 2014 to provide critical funding to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students across the university’s seven colleges and schools. The awards support students’ academic expenses, including tuition and graduate research stipends.
Endowed funds and commitments of over $169 million will support this and future classes of Presidential Fellows and Scholars.
Undergraduate Students
The following first-year students were selected to receive Presidential Scholarships during the CMU admission process.
Kevin Bartchlett
Sarabelle Tiffany Sable Kresser Endowed Presidential Scholarship
Minji Chung
Tobias Kotzin And Bessie Finkelhor Kotzin Presidential Scholarship
Zachary Goldstein
Frank Brunckhorst Presidential Scholarship
Shlok Goyal
Carnegie Mellon Presidential Scholarship
Jane Liu
Carnegie Mellon Presidential Scholarship
Caleb Miller
Carnegie Mellon Presidential Scholarship
Juliana Odiase
Frank Brunckhorst Presidential Scholarship
Graduate Students
The selection process for Presidential Fellows varies by fellowship. Typically, students are nominated by the deans of their respective colleges and the final selection process is guided by the Provost.
Yu Chen
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC)
Brittany Jakubiak
Presidential Fellowship in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Psychology Department
Romantic relationships and how relational behaviors can promote individual and relational wellbeing
Tina Liu
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
Psychology Department
Cognitive neuroscience
Josue Orellana
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
CNBC
Neuroscience, cell biology and physiology
Avigail Oren
William S. Dietrich II Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship
History Department
20th century U.S. urban history, focusing on ethnic and race relations, Jewish studies and the history of how the public health and social welfare infrastructure of American cities was built over the past 100 years
Stephanie Permut
Presidential Fellowship in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Social and Decision Sciences Department
Tara Pirnia
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
CNBC
Egbert Rijke
Presidential Fellowship in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Philosophy Department
Homotopy Type Theory
Ruben Sanchez-Romero
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
Philosophy Department
Logic, computation and methodology
Susan Tanner
William S. Dietrich II Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship
English Department
Legal rhetoric and moral philosophy, including analyses of political discourse, dialogic models of democracy and Supreme Court decisions
Pavithra Tantrigoda
Presidential Fellowship in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
English Department
“My research is committed to a transverse examination and interconnected understanding of law, human rights, ecosystems and socio-political-economic contexts to reveal concealed hindrances to achieving social and ecological justice.”
Aubrey Thompson
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
CNBC
Layla Unger
William S. Dietrich II Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship
Psychology Department
“I'm interested in the development of children's ability to organize their knowledge into meaningful groups, and how these groups guide the way in which children apply their existing knowledge in new contexts. My research particularly focuses on identifying factors that foster this ability within an educational setting.”
Yuan Wang
Richard King Mellon Foundation Presidential Fellowship in the Life Sciences
CNBC
Zachary Wojtowicz
William S. Dietrich II Presidential Ph.D. Fellowship
Social and Decision Sciences Department