Five CCS students, three alumni, among 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recipients

The recipients represent every CCS major eligible for the prestigious fellowship

Five students and three alumni from the College of Creative Studies (CCS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) have been awarded by the 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) for their potential to create societal impact and advance their respective fields. As one of the nation’s oldest and most competitive graduate fellowships, the NSF GRFP supports outstanding students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

“Congratulations to our CCS student and alumni recipients!” said CCS Dean Timothy Sherwood. “With at least one awardee representing every eligible major, our College continues to be well represented amongst a competitive pool of graduate and doctoral programs.”

UCSB received 29 NSF GRFP awards in the current institution category, ranking fourth among UC campuses behind University of California, San Diego in third, while University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Los Angeles placed first and second, respectively.

In total, 2,500 fellowships were awarded for the 2026-27 academic year from a pool of nearly 14,000 applicants. Recipients were selected based on the NSF GRFP’s criteria of intellectual merit and broader impacts. Fellows receive three years of financial support over a five-year fellowship for graduate study and research at accredited U.S. institutions.

2026 CCS NSF GRFP recipients:

Xagros Faraji ‘26 (CCS Biology)

Aaron Huang ‘25 (Physics)

Conor Pugsley ‘26 (CCS Chemistry and Biochemistry; L&S Pharmacology)

Ava Salami ‘26 (CCS Chemistry and Biochemistry)

Rohil Shah ‘26 (CCS Computing)

Janhavi Singhal ‘26 (CCS Physics)

Hayden Vega ‘25 (CCS Marine Science)

Eric Zhu ‘25 (CCS Physics)

Honorable Mentions: 

Sidharth Kannan ‘26 (CCS Computing, Physics)

Jeremy Lauro ‘26 (CCS Physics)

“Year after year, our community amazes me through its commitment to research and discovery, and these fellowships are evidence of that. I look forward to seeing the impact these future leaders will undoubtedly make.”

—Timothy Sherwood, Dean, College of Creative Studies

Past NSF GRFP Recipients:

CCS Physics Shines in a Year of Decreased NSF GRFP Awards, June 30, 2025

National Science Foundation (NSF) Announces 2024 Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Awardees, April 10, 2024

NSF Announces 2023 Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Awardees, March 30, 2023

2022 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Awardees Announced, May 11, 2022

NSF Announces 2021 Graduate Research Fellowship Awards, March 29, 2021

2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships Awarded, May 1, 2020