Five UCSB students have been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for the coming academic year.

The Goldwater Scholarship supports developing science, mathematics, and engineering students who demonstrate outstanding academic performance and potential in research. For more information on the Goldwater Scholarship, please see the Goldwater website, where you can find the full list of recipients.

Campus-specific information on this scholarship, including eligibility and campus application process, may be found on our Goldwater Scholarships page.

GOLDWATER 2024 - UCSB RECIPIENTS

Isaac Hair
Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara
Field of Study: CISE
Career Goal: I have a strong interest in mathematical research, computer algorithms, and education. I aspire to become a professor in theoretical CS with a side interest in computer architecture.
Mentor(s): Founder Professor Timothy Chan, Assistant Professor Jonathan Balkind, Professor, Vice Chair of CS Daniel Lokshtanov

Anika Jena
Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara
Field of Study: Engineering
Career Goal: Pursue a PhD in Biomolecular Engineering. Conduct genetic and proteomic research to develop biochemical technologies that elevate human accessibility and performance.
Mentor(s): Dr. Sho Takatori, Daniel Arnold

Xuanwei Liang
Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara
Field of Study: Physics and Astronomy
Career Goal: Ph.D. in experimental atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics. Conduct research to develop interdisciplinary experimental techniques to accelerate advancements in quantum technologies.
Mentor(s): Professor David Weld, Professor Tengiz Bibilashvili, Professor Guillem Pratx

Riya Nilkant
Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara
Field of Study: Life Sciences
Career Goal: Obtain a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. Research molecular mechanisms behind diseases using interdisciplinary methods of computational biology, engineering, and wet lab, to answer clinical questions.
Mentor(s): Dr. Kenneth S. Kosik, Dr. Soojin V. Yi, Dr. Michael Ma

Matthew Unger
Institution: University of California-Santa Barbara
Field of Study: Life Sciences
Career Goal: PhD. Computational and Systems Biology. Understand disease mechanisms; predict and develop new therapeutics.
Mentor(s): Dr. Kenneth Kosik, Dr. Andrew Longhini, Dr. Stuart Feinstein