2026 Graduate Student Awards Announced
The Department of Chemistry honored graduate students at its Annual Graduate Student Awards ceremony held Friday, May 22 with Erik Sorensen, Director of Graduate Studies, presiding.
The ceremony took place as part of the Princeton Chemistry Reunions program.
By tradition, the awards fall into three categories: First-Year Academic Achievements for first-year grad students based on GPAs; Merit Awards, which are nominated by faculty; and Teaching Awards, also nominated by faculty. The winners and their labs appear below. Congratulations to all awardees.
First-Year Academic Achievement
These fellowships are gifted to the Department by alumni and provide summer support to first-year students in recognition of academic excellence.
The Norman G. and Elizabeth Brink Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Saim Waheed (Hyster Lab)
The Stephen P.A. Fodor *85 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Rebecca Han (Xie Lab)
The Stanley A. Lefkowitz *70 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Maria Massa (Hyster Lab)
The David V. Milligan ’62 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Alexander Hurlburt (Knowles Lab)
The George B. Rathmann *51 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Theo Curtis (MacMillan Lab)
The Nat C. Robertson *42 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
Emily Ward (Schoop Lab)
Merit Awards
The Ada and Myer Packer Memorial Fellowship
Provided by a donation from Dr. Andrew J. Packer ’72, this honorific is awarded to a student who shows significant promise in the field of physical chemistry and spectroscopy.
Arden Floyd (Weichman Lab)
The Arthur A. Patchett ’51 Graduate Fellowship in Chemistry
This award, provided by a donation from Dr. Arthur Patchett ’51, a former executive of Merck and Co. and an alumnus of Princeton, is granted to a senior organic student who has excelled at Princeton.
John Meinhardt (Knowles Lab)
The BMS Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry
Awarded to a senior graduate student focused on organic synthesis, either methodology or natural product synthesis. The winner of this prize will give a seminar at a symposium hosted by BMS.
Emily Du (Knowles Lab)
The Third-Year Seminar Prize
This award is given to one or two 3rd year students in recognition of exceptional third-year seminar presentations, as judged by current 4th year students.
Hailey Hendricks (Roque Lab)
Teaching Awards
The Margaret & Herman Sokol Fellowship in Chemistry
This award recognizes outstanding work as a teaching assistant for a student interested in a career in teaching and research.
Emma Whittemore (Christopher Chang Lab)
Amory Griffin (Stache Lab)
The Hubert Alyea ’24 Teaching Award
Granted in memory of Hubert Alyea, a renowned chemist and beloved Princeton instructor, in recognition of outstanding dedication and enthusiasm for undergraduate teaching.
John Georgiades (Seyedsayamdost Lab)
Raina Morley (Scholes Group)
Pickering Teaching Awards
Named in honor of Miles Pickering, who served as Director of our Chemistry Undergraduate Labs from 1981 until his death in 1991, recognizing excellence in undergraduate teaching in precepts and in the lab.
For their work as lab TAs:
Jade Wu (Dincǎ Lab)
Moritz Obenauer (Jacobs Group)
Rodrigo Villanueva (Knowles Lab)
For their work as Precept TAs:
Darren Langer (Dincǎ Lab)
Caitlin Chartrand (Chirik Lab)
Inji Park (MacMillan Lab)
Grace Wallace (Sorensen Lab)
Griffin Davis (Christopher Chang Lab)