MIT Students Named 2024 Marshall Scholars

Anushree Chaudhuri and Rupert Li have been selected as recipients of Marshall Scholarships, which are prestigious fellowships funded by the British government. These scholarships provide outstanding American students with the opportunity to pursue several years of graduate study in any field at any UK university. The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission awards up to 50 scholarships each year.

The distinguished fellowships team, led by Associate Dean Kim Benard in Career Advising and Professional Development, provided guidance and support to Chaudhuri and Li. Additionally, they received mentorship from the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships, which is co-chaired by professors Will Broadhead and Nancy Kanwisher.

“The MIT students who applied for this year’s Marshall Scholarship embody that combination of intellectual prowess, hard work, and civic-mindedness that characterizes the Institute at its best,” says Broadhead. “These students are truly amazing! The thoughtfulness and optimism they demonstrated throughout the months-long exercise in critical reflection and personal growth that the application process demands impressed and inspired us all. On behalf of the Distinguished Fellowships Committee, Nancy and I are thrilled to extend our warmest congratulations to Anushree and Rupert and our very best wishes as they take their richly deserved places in the Marshall Scholar community.”

Anushree Chaudhuri

Anushree Chaudhuri, who hails from San Diego, California, will graduate next spring with bachelor’s degrees in urban studies and planning and economics, as well as a master’s in city planning. As a Marshall Scholar, she intends to pursue an MPhil/PhD in environmental policy and development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chaudhuri’s future goals include working across the public and private sectors to bring about structural changes that connect global environmental challenges with local community contexts.
Since 2021, Chaudhuri has collaborated with Professor Larry Susskind in the Science Impact Collaborative, studying local responses to large-scale renewable energy projects. During the past summer, she traveled throughout California to document the experiences of rural and Indigenous communities that are directly affected by energy transitions.

Chaudhuri has also gained experience with the U.S. Department of Energy, the World Wildlife Fund, and an environmental, social, and governance investing startup. Furthermore, she has been involved with various MIT groups, including the Office of Sustainability, Environmental Solutions Initiative, and the Climate and Sustainability Consortium. Chaudhuri served as an undergraduate delegate for MIT at the United Nations COP27.
On campus, Chaudhuri co-leads the Student Sustainability Coalition, an umbrella organization for student sustainability groups. She has previously held positions such as chair of Undergraduate Association Sustainability, co-lead of the student campaign to revise MIT’s Fast Forward Climate Action Plan, and judicial chair of Burton-Conner House. Chaudhuri has also been a representative on several campus committees, including the Corporation Joint Advisory Committee. In addition to her academic pursuits, she has a passion for singing and writing. In 2023, Chaudhuri was named a Udall Scholar and an MIT Burchard Scholar. By integrating different disciplines such as law, planning, economics, participatory research, and data science, Chaudhuri is dedicated to a career in public service that addresses social and climate injustices.

Rupert Li

Rupert Li, originally from Portland, Oregon, is a senior and master’s student concurrently at MIT. Upon graduation in May 2024, he will receive a BS in mathematics, a BS in computer science, economics, and data science, and a minor in business analytics. Li will also obtain an MEng in computer science, economics, and data science.

As a graduate student in the UK, Li plans to pursue the MASt degree in pure mathematics at Cambridge University, followed by the MSc in mathematics and foundations of computer science at Oxford University. Li’s aspiration is to become a professor of mathematics.

Li has authored 10 research articles on mathematics, primarily in the field of combinatorics. His work also extends to discrete geometry, probability, and harmonic analysis. Since his first year at MIT, Li has collaborated with Adjunct Professor Henry Cohn in the Department of Mathematics and has published two papers based on their work.

Li focuses on sphere-packing and coding theory, a renowned and challenging mathematical problem with applications in error-correcting codes that are widely used in the digital age to safeguard against data corruption. He is currently involved with Professor Nike Sun in the MIT math department, researching probability theory, and also collaborates with Professor Jim Propp from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell on enumerative combinatorics and statistical mechanics.

Li has served as a course designer and teaching assistant for Professor Jim Orlin at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Professor Muhamet Yildiz in the Department of Economics. Currently, he is the head teaching assistant for class 6.7900 (Machine Learning). Li has received the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and a Morgan Prize Honorable Mention for his undergraduate research. During his leisure time, he enjoys watching movies and playing strategy games with friends.