The Vanderbilt Graduate School celebrates the exceptional research of its Ph.D. candidates by awarding endowed scholarships generously funded by donors. With eleven unique awards available across various disciplines, these scholarships honor outstanding scholarship and academic achievement. Each award has its own criteria, number of recipients, and monetary value, reflecting the Graduate School students’ diverse accomplishments. Congratulations to the following students who have received the following awards:
Edward Ferguson Jr. Graduate Award
The Edward Ferguson Jr. Graduate Award provides scholarships to support students at the Graduate School who demonstrate excellence in research. The $5,000 award provides financial support to deserving graduate students in any field.
- Vladislav Lilic – History
- Nathaniel Tran – Health Policy and Services Research
Ethel M. Wilson Scholarship
The Ethel M. Wilson Scholarship was established in 1974 to support the education of graduate women students at the Graduate School. The $5,000 scholarship is awarded to the most promising dissertation research conducted by female graduate students.
- Jenny Tran – Biochemistry
Family S. Graduate Scholarship
- Kimberly Bress – Neuroscience
- Vanessa Miller – Biological Sciences
- Sienna Windsor – Special Education
John Cheek Scholarship
The John Cheek Scholarship was established to support graduate students conducting research related to East Asian studies. Students receive $5,000 and may be from different areas, including but not limited to, history, religion, English, economics, or political science.
- Eui “Emily” Noh – Political Science
- Ziyu Zhao – Community, Research and Action
Lai Sulin Scholarship
The $5,000 Lai Sulin Scholarship recognizes excellence in research by a Vanderbilt University Ph.D. student in an area related to cancer.
- Sarah Glass – Cell and Developmental Biology
- Brandi Taylor – Cancer Biology
Louise A. Taylor Scholarship
The $2,500 award provides financial support for deserving graduate students studying humanities across the university.
- Thomas Huebner – French
- Preeti Nambiar – Political Science
Malcolm, Catherine, and F. Stanley Jones Scholarship
The Malcolm, Catherine, and F. Stanley Jones $5,000 Scholarship was established in fiscal year 2023 to support deserving students studying in the Graduate Department of Religion at the Graduate School.
- Austin Luebke – Religion
Richard Bennett/Dorothy Danforth Compton Prize
The Danforth Foundation was established to support the most promising entering diverse graduate student in science and engineering at Vanderbilt University. This $2,500 prize was established in memory of Richard Bernard Bennett III, M.D. 1990, Ph.D. 1992.
- Tomas Atehortua – Physics
- Zihan Fang – Computer Science
Sidney Colowick Graduate Student Scholarship
The Sidney P. Colowick Graduate Student Scholarship was established to provide financial support for a deserving student at the Graduate School. A student will be selected as the most outstanding candidate from among those receiving the $5,000 Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (HSV) Funds.
- Robert Cramer – Law and Economics
- Leighton Durham – Psychological Sciences
- Krista Haapenen – Community, Research and Action
Smriti Bardhan, Ph.D. Scholarship
The $2,500 Smriti Bardhan, Ph.D. scholarship recognizes excellence in research by a Vanderbilt University Ph.D. student in an area related to life sciences or biological sciences.
- Cole Meier – Biological Sciences
- Christian de Caestecker – Cell and Development Biology
Tarkington Family Scholarship
The $3,000 Tarkington Family Scholarship provides financial support based on need or merit for deserving students at the Graduate School. Preference in awarding will be for a doctoral candidate or graduate student studying for a degree in archaeology or bioarchaeology.
- Sylvia Cheever – Anthropology
- Maria Corado – Anthropology
