Two chemical engineering PhD students earn major NSF fellowships

Chemical Engineering PhD students, Nolan Petrich and Annette Thompson, have received 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, a prestigious award that recognizes and supports outstanding students in a wide variety of science-related disciplines. Petrich is advised by Distinguished Professor Kristi Anseth. Thompson is co-advised by Associate Professor Jerome Fox and Professor Michael Shirts.

This year, the National Science Foundation awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to 11 University of Colorado Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science students. Due to federal budget cuts, the program was reduced by 25 percent, with 1,500 fellowships awarded nationwide compared to 2,000 last year.

Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and full coverage of tuition, fees and insurance, along with opportunities for international research and professional development that span five years.