The Department of Bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is proud to have three students chosen for NSF Fellowships this year: Chrystal Davis, Peter Wei Hsu, and Chathurya Devineni. The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF GRFP) is one of the highest honors a graduate student can receive. According to the NSF, the award “supports fellowships for outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time, research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math, including education.”
Written by Ben Libman
The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program (NSF GRFP) is one of the highest honors a graduate student can receive. According to the NSF, the award “supports fellowships for outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time, research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math, including education.” The Department of Bioengineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is proud to have three students chosen for NSF Fellowships this year: Chrystal Davis, Peter Wei Hsu, and Chathurya Devineni.
Peter Wei Hsu
Peter Wei Hsu
Hsu is a senior in bioengineering who will begin his doctoral program in bioengineering professor Rohit Bhargava's lab this coming year. He plans to focus on new AI approaches that improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer by focusing on computational strategies that ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of AI models. His goal is to one day become a professor.
“I am deeply grateful to receive the NSF GRFP,” said Hsu. “This fellowship is a reflection of the incredible mentorship and resources I have received from Dr. Bhargava's lab and the Department of Bioengineering. I am thankful that this award will enable me to continue pursuing my work of developing algorithms that transform the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnostics.”
Chathurya Devineni
Chathurya Devineni
Devineni is also a bioengineering senior who will begin her doctoral program in bioengineering professor Rohit Bhargava's lab this fall. Her goal is to advance computation imaging methods to improve speed, efficiency, and accessibility of biological analysis by developing label-free digital pathology frameworks. Devineni was inspired to help cancer patients after witnessing her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer. “The experience inspired me to pursue research that applies engineering and computational approaches to better understand cancer biology and improve the precision of diagnostic and therapeutic technologies,” said Devineni.
"I feel honored to have been awarded the NSF fellowship,” she added. “I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and guidance I received from my PI and graduate mentors, and I look forward to using this opportunity to advance cancer research during my Ph.D."
Professor Bhargava added “I am grateful that the NSF has recognized the excellence and transformative potential of the research of our incoming students. Peter and Chathurya have already demonstrated high research potential and I am excited that they can explore scientific frontiers in Bioengineering with the help of this fellowship. The excellent undergraduate education and research experiences in our department laid the foundation for this award”.
Chrystal Davis
Chrystal Davis
Davis is a first year Ph.D. student in the lab of bioengineering professor Susan Leggett, having received her bachelor’s in biomedical engineering from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Her work examines understudied conditions such as endometriosis, with the aim of developing more accurate, physiologically relevant disease models that can advance women’s health. In addition, Davis is committed to broadening participation in engineering by applying her technical proficiency to the development of research tools that are cost-effective, accessible, and scalable.
“I am genuinely surprised but truly honored to have received this fellowship,” said Davis. “I couldn't have done so without the guidance and support of my PI and fellow graduate students. This recognition motivates me to continue growing as a researcher and to contribute meaningful work that reflects the prestige of the NSF GRFP.”
Davis’ PI, professor Susan Leggett, noted how deserving a recipient Davis is. “This honor recognizes Chrystal’s exceptional research potential, creativity, and promise as an emerging scientist. Her NSF GRFP will support a new direction in the lab’s research, focused on pioneering an engineered biomimetic model to investigate how toxicants may initiate and accelerate the progression of endometriosis.”