ARCS Scholar Awards

The Metropolitan Washington Chapter of the ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation has played a vital role in sustaining and enhancing scientific study at the university through its generous support of graduate education and research in the STEM fields since 1973.

Beginning in 2012, the Chapter began awarding scholarships to Georgetown undergraduates, a move which further highlighted the central place of science in a liberal arts education. A steadfast partner to Georgetown, the Metropolitan Washington Chapter was inducted into the 1789 Society in 2015 for having exceeded $1 million in philanthropic giving to the university. The Chapter was formally recognized with an award and citation at the Spring Faculty Convocation Ceremony on March 31, 2015.

2024-25 ARCS Endowment Scholars

The Metropolitan Washington Chapter of the ARCS Foundation has notified the Graduate School that it will once again support graduate education and research with two ARCS Endowment Scholar Awards for the 2024-25 academic year, each valued at $15,000. The call for nominations for the separate 2024-25 ARCS Chapter Awards is then expected in February.

• Georgetown University is eligible to nominate two students for the Endowment Scholar Awards, and this year ARCS has requested nominations from one graduate student in the field of Physics and one graduate student in the field of Biomedical Engineering.
• Funds may be applied toward stipend, tuition or research costs during the academic year of award. A listing of our current and past graduate fellows is provided below.

Nominee Eligibility

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Applicants must be enrolled full-time.
• Applicants must be completing dissertation research in engineering or physics
• Must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Applicants are selected without regard to race, gender, or religion.
Each program may nominate up to two students per field (biomedical engineering and physics).

To Apply

The nomination packet requires the following items, collated as one PDF:

From the student:

• A completed application
• An unofficial transcript
• A current CV

From the program:

• Two letters of recommendation, one from the mentor and a second from either the Chair or the Director of Graduate Studies*
• A letter of assessment (in PDF format) that includes: an assessment of the student’s academic work to date and a brief description of his or her research and its significance.

Letters should be on university letterhead and addressed to the Dean. Letters will be shared with the ARCS selection committee.

Submission and Review

Nominations should be collated as one complete PDF per student and submitted to elizabeth.george@georgetown.edu no later than Thursday, December 14. Please indicate the field of consideration (Physics or Engineering) for each nominee.

Nominations must be submitted by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) or designated program staff.

Guidelines on Proposed Use of ARCS funds

ARCS would prefer that funds be used to directly further the student’s research, such as funds to cover or defray purchase or use of specialized lab equipment and materials unique to their research or travel for field research (but not for a scientific meeting that the student would have attended anyway). The important thing to remember is that when ARCS asks a nominee to explain how their support will advance the student’s research, they want to hear about specific, tangible uses — things that the student will be able to do that otherwise would be difficult or impossible without their support. Some of the funds may still be allocated toward the student’s stipend support; but wherever possible, we recommend that a portion be targeted for direct research support. Identifying these differential uses for the $15,000 will require that the nomination include a simple budget.

Mars Foundation Scholar

Ellen Jacobs, Ph.D. candidate in Biology

Dissertation research: Bottlenose dolphins foraging with sponge tools in Shark Bay, Western Australia represent the best documented case of tool use in a wild cetacean, but precise mechanisms of the technique are not known. This research investigates whether dolphins modify echolocation use while sponging compared to similar foraging methods without sponge tools by combining behavioral, acoustic, and sound propagation modeling techniques.

Mentor: Dr. Janet Mann

Awarded for academic year 2023-24.

Matt Riddle Scholar

Zoe Malchiodi, Ph.D. candidate in Tumor Biology

Dissertation research: Investigating mechanisms of immune cell interactions in pancreatic cancer by utilizing high-throughput spatial technologies. This approach will provide insights on immune cell localization and identify new therapeutic targets to promote anti-tumor immune responses and immunotherapy efficacy in pancreatic cancer.

Mentor: Dr. Louis M. Weiner

Awarded for academic year 2023-2024.

Mars Foundation Scholar
Devin Palmer, Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience

Dissertation research: Understanding the “road map” by which seizures spread in the brain. Using high spatial and temporal resolution methods to record, target and manipulate neuronal activity within defined regions of the brain to influence seizure initiation, propagation and cessation.

Mentor: Dr. Patrick Forcelli

Awarded for academic year 2022-23.

Danaher Corporation Scholar
Micaila Curtis, Ph.D. candidate in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Dissertation research: Investigating pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers in the world, by combining apelin endothelial signaling pathway, pancreas-on-a-chip technology, and extracellular vesicles — three important and relatively new areas of research — in hopes to bring better intervention and detection methods to clinical practice. 

Mentor: Dr. Amrita Cheema

Awarded for academic year 2022-2023.

Chapter Scholar
Jordan Tanen, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry

Dissertation research: Developing high-sensitivity analytical techniques for quantitative trace fluorine detection in complex environmental and biological samples, to enable quantification of any fluorine-containing molecule without the need for standards specific to that compound; offering a general approach for trace-level quantitative mapping of fluorochemical bio- and environmental transformations.

Mentor: Dr. Kaveh Jorabchi

Awarded for academic year 2022-23.

Chapter Scholar
Devin Palmer, Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience

Dissertation research: Understanding the “road map” by which seizures spread in the brain. Using high spatial and temporal resolution methods to record, target and manipulate neuronal activity within defined regions of the brain to influence seizure initiation, propagation and cessation.

Mentor: Dr. Patrick Forcelli

Awarded for academic year 2021-2022.

Chapter Scholar
Raneen Rahhal, Ph.D. candidate in Tumor Biology

Dissertation research: Integrating high-throughput and spatial technologies to discover interactions between tumors cells and the microenvironment that promote metastasis. This new discovery approach will illuminate our understanding of tumor evolution and has the potential to identify new drug targets for the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer.

Mentor: Dr. Gray Pearson

Awarded for academic year 2021-2022.

Chapter Scholar
Joel Swanson, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry

Dissertation research: The europium chalcogenides (EuO, EuS, EuSe and EuTe) are intrinsic magnetic semiconductors that have highly coupled magnetic, electronic and optical properties. Investigation of this coupling on the nanoscale is key to the integration of exciting properties such as spin filtering and magnetoresistance into the next generation of electronics.

Mentor: Dr. Sarah Stoll

Awarded for academic year 2021-22.

Chapter Scholar
Megan Barefoot, M.D./Ph.D. candidate in Tumor Biology

Dissertation research: Optimizing liquid biopsy technology to trace the origins of cell-free DNA using tissue- and cell-type specific methylation patterns. How to use these advancements to better understand disease and toxicities at a cellular level, specifically to determine the onset and time course of liver damage from reperfusion injury after liver transplant.

Mentor: Dr. Anton Wellstein

Awarded for academic year 2020-2021.

Endowment Fellow
Daniel O’Brien, Ph.D. candidate in Physics

Dissertation research: Utilizing micro-scale fabrication techniques to design and develop novel medical devices for biomarker sensing in non-invasively sampled human interstitial fluid.

Mentor: Dr. Mak Paranjape

Awarded for academic year 2020-2021 (Endowment Fellow) and 2019-20 (Chapter Scholar).

Endowment Fellow
Nicole Wagner, Ph.D. candidate in Biology

Dissertation research: Using a combination of wet-lab work and bioinformatics to study the survival mechanisms of primitive microbial life in a perennially frozen, methane-rich Antarctic lake, which serves as an analog for the icy moons in the outer reaches of our solar system.

Mentor: Dr. Sarah Stewart Johnson

Awarded for academic year 2020-21.

Chapter Scholar
Andrew Kelly, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry

Dissertation research: Using supramolecular chemistry to investigate binding interactions involving halogens and organometallic synthesis, as well as researching catalysis for the synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant compounds.

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Warren

Awarded for academic year 2019-20.

Chapter Scholar
Alyssa King, Ph.D. candidate in Biology

Dissertation research: Using genetic tools to determine the role of non-coding, regulatory RNA, RsaD in Staphylococcus aureas virulence, specifically how RsaD contributes to the development of multicellular communities during infection.

Mentor: Dr. Shaun Brinsmade

Awarded for academic year 2019-20.

Endowment Fellow
Sean MacAvaney, Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science

Dissertation research: Using modern machine-learning techniques to improve information-retrieval systems, including those that answer complex questions; systems that find relevant medical literature to support physicians; and systems that can identify those suffering from mental illnesses, by analyzing social media activity to provide early support.

Mentor: Dr. Nazli Goharian

Awarded for academic year 2019-20.

Forster Family Foundation Scholar
Adam Caccavano, Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience

Dissertation research: How hypocampal activity, which is critical for memory consolidation, is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease. Investigating the neuronal microcircuitry with the tools of electrophysiology, calcium imaging, and computational modeling.

Mentor: Dr. Stefano Vicini

Awarded for academic year 2018-19.

Chapter Scholar
Matthew Hansen, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry

Dissertation research: The use of Raman spectroscopy to investigate the fundamental properties of zinc oxide nanorods (ZnO) to better understand now the structure of ZnO nanomaterials influences its physical properties, and to study facet-specific reactivity of the material. 

Mentor: Dr. Jong-In Hahm

Awarded for academic year 2018-19.

Gladi Mathews Memorial Scholar
Evan Gardner, Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry

Dissertation research: The development of novel catalytic systems for the sustainable production of ammonia from abundant dinitrogen as well as electrocatalytic ammonia oxidation systems for efficient fuel cells in energy applications.

Mentor: Dr. Timothy Warren

Awarded for academic year 2017-18.

Forster Family Foundation Scholar,  Danaher Corporation Scholar & Chapter Scholar
Marina Solomos, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2018)

Dissertation: Phase Control of Diphenylureas Through Co-Crystallization and Template-Directed Methods

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Swift

Awarded for academic years 2015-16 (Forster Scholar), 2016-17 (Danaher Corporation Scholar), and 2017-18 (Chapter Scholar).

Patricia Smith Memorial Scholar & Chapter Scholar 
Teresa Duncan, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2017)

Dissertation: Hydrogels and Organogels from Partially Hydrolyzed Poly(vinyl acetates) and Boron-based Crosslinkers: Development, Characterization, and Application to the Conservation of Art

Mentor: Dr. Richard Weiss

Awarded for academic years 2014-15 (Chapter Scholar), 2015-16 (Chapter Scholar) and 2016-17 (Patricia Smith Memorial Scholar).

Laytham Scholar
Erika Raven, Ph.D. (Neuroscience, 2017)

Dissertation: Reproducibility and Use of Myelin Imaging Methods for the Study of Adolescent Brain Development

Mentor: Dr. John VanMeter / Dr. Jeff Duyn (NIH)

Awarded for academic year 2016-17.

Noama Wheeler Scholar
Laura C. Erickson, Ph.D. (Neuroscience, 2016)

Dissertation: Examinations of Audiovisual Speech Processes, the McGurk Effect and the Heteromodal Superior Temporal Sulcus in the Human Brain Across Numerous Approaches

Mentors: Dr. Josef Rauschecker and Dr. Peter Turkeltaub

Awarded for academic year 2015-16.

Chapter Scholar
Kyle Shattuck, Ph.D. (Neuroscience, 2016)

Dissertation: Investigating the Cholinergic Regulation of Human Learning and Memory using Functional Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Mentor: Dr. John W. VanMeter

Awarded for academic year 2015-16.

Chapter Scholar
Bryce Yoshimura, Ph.D. (Physics, 2016)

Dissertation: Theoretical studies for experimental implementation of quantum computing with trapped ions

Mentor: Dr. James Freerick

Awarded for academic years 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16.

General Dynamics Scholar & Chapter Scholar
Marguerite Brown, M.S. (Physics, 2015)

Studied liquid crystalline ordering under confinement, using microtubules as a model liquid crystal within microfluidic chambers to provide insight into how liquid crystals order within geometries smaller than their persistence length. 

Mentor: Dr. Daniel L. Blair

Awarded for academic years 2012-13 (General Dynamics) and 2013-14 (Chapter).

Chapter Scholar
Patrick Cox, Ph.D. (Neuroscience, 2017) 

Dissertation: The Effects of Extensive Single Task and Dual Task Training on the Neural Bases of Visual Objec Categorization: Escaping the Frontal Bottleneck

Mentor: Dr. Maximilian Riesenhuber

Awarded for academic year 2014-15.

Chapter Scholar
Ilana Grace Goldberg, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2011)

Dissertation: Directed Crystal Growth and Solid-State Analysis of the Secondary Explosives RDX and HMX

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer A. Swift

Awarded for academic years 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11.

Chapter Scholar
Augusta (Hofstead-Duffy) Levendorf, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2013)

Dissertation: Exploring the Structure-Activity Relationship of Platinum and Platinum-based Electro-catalysts for the Methanol Electro-oxidation

Mentor: Dr. YuYe Tong

Awarded for academic year 2012-13.

Chapter Scholar
Monique Koppel, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2014)

Dissertation: Metal and Non-Metal Catalyzed Beta-Alkylation of Secondary Alcohols: Scope and Mechanism

Mentor: Dr. Bahram Moasser

Awarded for academic years 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12.

Chapter Scholar
Eric Patterson, Ph.D. (Biology, 2012)

Dissertation: Ecological and Life History Factors Influence Habitat and Tool Use in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.)

Mentor: Dr. Janet Mann

Awarded for academic years 2009-10, 2010-11, and 2011-12.

Chapter Scholar
Katy Sherlach, Ph.D. (Chemistry, 2014)

Dissertation: Assessing Antimalarial Cidality in Plasmodium falciparum Parasites

Mentor: Dr. Paul D. Roepe

Awarded for academic year, 2011-12.

Chapter Scholar
Casey Shuptrine, Ph.D. (Tumor Biology, 2015)

Dissertation: The Molecular Determinants of Tumor Cell Modulation of Immune Selection

Mentors: Dr. Louis M. Weiner and Dr. Anton Wellstein

Awarded for academic year 2014-15.

Chapter Scholar
Steven Spangenberg, M.S. (Chemistry, 2015)

Conducted research in solid state organic chemistry to elucidate the dehydration mechanism(s) of crystalline hydrates, and how doping effects can be used to rationally tailor the physical properties of these materials.

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer A. Swift 

Awarded for academic year 2014-15.

Mars Foundation Scholar & Chapter Scholar
Theodore (Trey) Picou III, Ph.D. (Biology, 2017)

Dissertation: The Hydrodynamic Model of Giardia lamblia Attachment

Mentor: Dr. Heidi Elmendorf

Awarded for academic years 2012-13 (Mars Foundation) and 2013-14 (Chapter).

Chapter Scholar
Amanda Zirzow, Ph.D. candidate in Biology (Withdrawn, 2013)

Dissertation research: The use of a high-throughput genetic screen to study cellular and sub-cellular mechanics of pathogenic yeast to target genes for potent therapeutics.

Mentor: Dr. Anne G. Rosenwald

Awarded for academic year 2013-14.