Eleven MIT students receive 2024 Fulbright fellowships

Eleven students and alumni from MIT have been awarded Fulbright grants for projects abroad in the 2024-25 grant cycle. Two other students declined their awards for other opportunities.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, provides year-long opportunities for American students and recent alumni to engage in independent research, pursue graduate studies, or teach English in more than 140 countries.

MIT has been recognized as a Fulbright Top-Producing Institution for five consecutive years. Those interested in applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program from MIT can reach out to Julia Mongo, the MIT Fulbright program advisor, at the Office of Distinguished Fellowships in Career Advising and Professional Development.

April Cheng, a physics junior with a mathematics minor, will utilize their Fulbright research grant at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany. Cheng’s research will focus on statistical techniques to deduce the universe’s expansion rate from gravitational waves. Their broad research interests in astrophysics encompass gravitational waves, black holes, cosmology, and fast radio bursts, with a strong commitment to physics education and community involvement.

Grace McMillan, a senior dual-majoring in literature and mechanical engineering, will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at a university in Kazakhstan. McMillan aims to help students improve their English proficiency to better integrate into the global academic community.

Ryan McTigue, graduating with a BS in physics and mathematics, will conduct research in the physics of two-dimensional multiferroic nanodevices at the University of Valencia’s Institute of Molecular Science in Spain.

Keith Murray ’22, a computational and cognition graduate, will delve into generative AI models inspired by the primary visual cortex in Hungary.

Maaya Prasad ’22, an electrical engineering and creative writing graduate, will continue her research on microplastic detection in Mauritius.

Anusha Puri, a biological engineering senior, is set to conduct cancer immunology research in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research.

Olivia Rosenstein, graduating with a BS in physics and a minor in French, will continue her studies in atomic, molecular, and optical physics at ENS Paris-Saclay in France.

Jennifer Schug , receiving her MEng in Climate, Environment, and Sustainability, will pursue research on carbon storage in the Venice lagoon at the University of Padua in Italy.

Vaibhavi Shah ’21, a Goldwater Scholar and medical student at Stanford University, will investigate sociocultural factors underlying traumatic surgical injuries in Nepal.

Charvi Sharma , a senior studying computer science and molecular biology, will engage as an English teaching assistant in Spain.

Isabella Witham, a biological engineering senior, will conduct research at Seoul National University’s Biomimetic Materials and Stem Cell Engineering Lab in South Korea.