The Graduate School provides students with endowed awards established by generous donors to recognize exceptional scholarship. There are eleven such awards available to students from various disciplines. These awards have different criteria, number of recipients, and award amounts.
The Vanderbilt Graduate School has acknowledged exceptional research by Ph.D. candidates throughout the university by nominating and awarding endowed scholarship funding.
SMRITI BARDHAN, PH.D. SCHOLARSHIP | Life Sciences/Biological Sciences
Tripti Bardhan Jena and Purusottam Jena established the Smriti Bardhan, Ph.D. Scholarship in 2019 to support deserving students pursuing their Ph.D. in life sciences or bioscience at the Graduate School. The donors made this gift in memory of Smriti Bardhan, Ph.D., a former research instructor at Vanderbilt. Dr. Bardhan was born in Balasore, Odisha, India on August 16, 1940.
Awarded to:
Gillian Fitz – School of Medicine Basic Sciences/Cell & Developmental Biology
Maria Lopez Cavestany – School of Engineering/Biomedical Engineering
Remington Hoerr – College of Arts & Science/Biological Sciences
RICHARD BENNETT/DOROTHY DANFORTH COMPTON PRIZE | Science & Engineering
The Danforth Foundation established the Richard Bennett/Dorothy Danforth Compton Prize in 1995 by the Danforth Foundation to support the most promising entering graduate minority student in science and engineering at Vanderbilt University. This fund was established in memory of Richard Bernard Bennett III, M.D. 1990, Ph.D. 1992.
Awarded to: Mackey “Trey” Long – School of Engineering/Interdisciplinary Materials Science
LOUISE A. TAYLOR SCHOLARSHIP | Humanities
Louise A. Taylor, M.A. 1961, established the Louise A. Taylor Scholarship in 1983 to support deserving students at the Graduate School. Ph.D. students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University, have achieved candidacy, and have an approved dissertation proposal.
Awarded to:
André Ramos Chacón – College of Arts & Science/Spanish
Kathryn A. Marshalek – College of Arts & Science/History
ETHEL M. WILSON SCHOLARSHIP | Graduate women students
Ethel M. Wilson, M.A. 1911, established the Ethel M. Wilson Scholarship Fund in 1974 to support the education of graduate women students at the Graduate School. Ph.D. students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University, have achieved candidacy, and have an approved dissertation proposal.
Awarded to: Brooke Christensen – School of Medicine Basic Sciences/Pharmacology
LAI SULIN SCHOLARSHIP | Cancer research
Cheng Lai, M.S. 1962, Ph.D. 1966, and his wife, Yu Chen Lai, established the Lai Sulin Scholarship Fund in 2005 to support graduate students who study in an area related to cancer in the Graduate School at Vanderbilt University. Donors established this fund in memory of their daughter, Sulin. Ph.D. students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University, have achieved candidacy, and have an approved dissertation proposal.
Awarded to: Joshua Greenlee – School of Engineering/Biomedical Engineering
FAMILY S GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP | Autism research
Anonymous donors established the Family S Graduate Scholarship Fund in fiscal year 2018 to support deserving graduate students conducting basic research in the field of autism. Graduate students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University.
Awarded to:
Brittney Goscicki – Peabody College of Education/Special Education
Alisa Zoltowski – School of Medicine Basic Sciences/Neuroscience
Emily Thompson – School of Medicine Basic Sciences/Hearing and Speech Sciences
TARKINGTON FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP | Archaeology or Bioarchaeology
Bruce Lee Tarkington, B.A. 1998, J.D. 2001, established the Tarkington Family Scholarship in 2018 to provide financial support for deserving students at the Graduate School. Graduate students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University.
Awarded to:
Samantha Turley – College of Arts & Science/Anthropology
Maya Krause – College of Arts & Science/Anthropology
MALCOLM, CATHERINE, AND F. STANLEY JONES SCHOLARSHIP | Religion
Catherine Graves Neuman Jones and Malcolm D. Jones established the Malcolm, Catherine, and F. Stanley Jones Scholarship in fiscal year 2023 to support deserving students studying in the Graduate Department of Religion at the Graduate School. Graduate students eligible for nomination must be enrolled full-time at Vanderbilt University.
Awarded to:
Vineet Gupta – Divinity School/Religion
Francisco Garcia – Divinity School/Religion
Congratulations to all!