This year’s National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) program only awarded 1,000 grants, nearly half as many as in the past, and yet eight University of Florida Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering students were selected to receive awards for their exemplary work and contributions to their departments.
The NSF GRFP recognizes outstanding graduate students from across the country in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Recipients are identified as high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers.
Steven Robles Blasini
Biomedical Engineering
Steven graduated in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in mass communications. Read more: https://bme.ufl.edu/two-bme-students-awarded-prestigious-nsf-graduate-research-fellowships/
Eliana Rose Duarte
Civil Engineering
Duarte graduated in December 2024 from UF with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a minor in urban and regional planning. Her interest is in public transportation, and her research has focused on travel behaviors and sustainable transportation infrastructure, specifically multimodal mobility hubs. Read more. https://essie.ufl.edu/eliana-rose-duarte-receives-national-science-foundation-grfp-fellowship/
Taylor Johnson
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Taylor Johnson, a senior mechanical engineering student who graduated summa cum laude in May, will begin her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. There, she plans to continue her research on renewable energy while advocating for increased investment in technologies that combat climate change and promote sustainability. Read more: https://mae.ufl.edu/2025/05/05/mae-students-earn-nsf-fellowships-and-gator-engineering-awards/
Caroline Lubbe
Chemical Engineering
Lubbe, a Ph.D. candidate, was named an NSF GRFP awardee in STEM Education and Learning Research for her proposal that will be conducted in the UF Department of Engineering Education. This fellowship recognizes her academic excellence and ability to make a meaningful impact on research and society. Read more: https://che.ufl.edu/two-ph-d-students-receive-prestigious-fellowships/
Meer Muhtasim Mahfuz
Materials & Science Engineering
Meer Muhtasim Mahfuz, a senior majoring in materials science and engineering, conducted research in the lab of Honggyu Kim, Ph.D., where he focused on the characterization of functional materials and semiconductor thin films using advanced transmission electron microscopy techniques. Read more: https://mse.ufl.edu/meer-muhtasim-mahfuz-named-nsf-graduate-research-fellow/
Aniela Nozka
Chemical Engineering
Nozka is a Ph.D. candidate whose research is focused on nanomaterials for biomedical applications under the advisement of Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D. Read more: https://che.ufl.edu/two-ph-d-students-receive-prestigious-fellowships/
Gabriella Peburn
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Gabriella Peburn, an aerospace engineering student who graduated in May, will begin her Ph.D. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech this fall. Her research journey at UF has included groundbreaking work in robotics and autonomous systems. Read more: https://mae.ufl.edu/2025/05/05/mae-students-earn-nsf-fellowships-and-gator-engineering-awards/
Joshua Ruley
Biomedical Engineering
Joshua is a fourth-year undergraduate student in biomedical engineering working in Ana Maria Porras’, Ph.D. lab. His research focuses on developing in vitro tools to study Visceral Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic protozoa. Read more: https://bme.ufl.edu/two-bme-students-awarded-prestigious-nsf-graduate-research-fellowships/