One current CBE student and one alumnus will receive the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF)  Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award.  One thousand awards were given nation-wide, with the purpose of ensuring the quality, vitality, and variety of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend and gives students the freedom in their PhD work to pursue their own ideas.  

The GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers, early in their careers. Applicants must be pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or in STEM education. The 2025 cohort has the fewest number of recipients the program has awarded in 15 years. Three CBE affiliates were selected for the program, with two accepting the fellowship.

Katie Ernst

Katie Ernst’s current research at NC State focuses on the fundamentals of spinning polymeric hollow fibers using industrially relevant, solvent-free methods. Due to their high surface area and internal channels for fluid transport, hollow fibers are ideal for a variety of applications, including water purification, medical devices, energy conversion, and functional textiles. Katie’s NSF proposal centers on the development of particle-stabilized emulsions and the use of rheology as a tool to probe the microstructure of these complex fluids. This research can be applied to systems such as emulsions which incorporate plant growth promoting microbes for sustainable agriculture.

Katie earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2020 and is currently a CBE graduate student advised by Prof. Saad Khan.

Jacob Kennedy (B.S. ’23)

Jacob Kennedy is currently performing research on a novel approach to targeted cancer therapy using gold nanoparticle drug carriers. By controlling their atomistic surface structure and functionalizing them for targeted delivery, Jacob aims to fine-tune their behavior in the body — improving accumulation at tumor sites while minimizing off-target effects. His experience at NC State CBE was “incredibly supportive and encouraging.” When he began applying for the NSF GRFP faculty members like Prof. Keung and past awardees took the time to meet with him and share their insights.

Jacob earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from NC State in 2023 and is currently a graduate student at the University of Virginia.