Jefferson Scholars Foundation Announces Next Class of Jefferson and National Fellows

Sun coming up next to the Rotunda and Thomas Jeffersons Statue

Jefferson Scholars Foundation Announces Next Class of Jefferson and National Fellows(Photo by Sanjay Suchak, University Communications)

The Jefferson Scholars Foundation has awarded Jefferson Fellowships to 16 graduate students at the University of Virginia, and National Fellowships to seven students at leading universities across the country.

Jefferson Fellowships are designed to identify Ph.D. and M.B.A. candidates who demonstrate outstanding achievement and the highest promise as scholars, teachers, public servants and business leaders. Recipients receive full support to attend the University for the fellowship period, including living and research stipends, space to engage in research and collaborative conversation, and a variety of professional development and enrichment opportunities.

Twelve of the 16 Jefferson Fellows are pursuing a Ph.D. in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; three will attend the Darden School of Business; and one will attend the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The foundation administers a separate selection process for its National Fellowships. Designed to support outstanding scholars at leading institutions across the country who are pursuing a Ph.D. in American history, politics, public policy or foreign relations, National Fellowships provide support for one year of dissertation research and writing. Recipients are paired with a renowned senior scholar in their field and are invited to convene in Charlottesville twice a year for major academic conferences.

Both Jefferson and National fellows contribute to UVA’s intellectual life and are invited to use the foundation’s 32,700-square-foot facility, which includes multifunctional spaces for research presentations, conferences, lectures and individual study.

This year’s fellowship recipients are:

Jefferson Fellows

  • Jeff Carroll, Department of Philosophy (B.A., The Ohio State University; M.A., Georgia State University).
  • Ariel Cohen, Corcoran Department of History (B.A., University of Pennsylvania; M.A., Columbia University, Jewish Theological Seminary; M.A., Jewish Theological Seminary).
  • Rob Collins, Darden School of Business (B.S., Duke University).
  • Molly Finn, Department of Astronomy (B.S., University of Rochester; M.S., University of Virginia).
  • Lucas Freeman, Department of Chemistry (B.S., College of Charleston).
  • Evan Giangrande, Department of Psychology, (B.A., Georgetown University; M.A., University of Virginia).
  • Alida Goffinski, Department of Sociology (B.S.W., Indiana University; M.S.W., Indiana University).
  • Erin Jordan, Department of Anthropology (B.A., Millsaps College, M.A., Louisiana State University; M.A., University of Virginia).
  • Poooja Khosla, Department of Economics (B.A., St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi; M.S., University of Oxford).
  • Eric Linde, Darden School of Business (B.S., University of Delaware).
  • Mengyao Liu, Dissertation Year Fellow, Department of Astronomy (B.S., Nanjing University; M.S., University of Florida).
  • Vojin Mitic, Darden School of Business (B.S., University of Richmond).
  • Joshua Morrison, Corcoran Department of History (B.A., Williams College; M.A., University of Virginia).
  • Eleanore Neumann, Department of Art History (M.A., Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London).
  • Thomas Pfeifer, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (B.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison; M.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison).
  • Jessica Swoboda, Department of English (B.A.. Villanova University; M.A., Boston College).

National Fellows

  • Mary Bridges, Vanderbilt University (B.A., Harvard University; M.A., Yale University; M.A., Vanderbilt University).
  • Dylan Gottlieb, Princeton University (B.A., Vassar College; M.A., Temple University; M.A., Princeton University).
  • Brianna Nofil, Columbia University (B.A., Duke University; M.A., Columbia University; M.Phil., Columbia University).
  • Charles Petersen, Harvard University (B.A., Carleton College; M.A., Harvard University).
  • Gili Vidan, Harvard University (B.A., Harvard University; M.S., Oxford University).
  • Daniel Wortel-London, New York University (B.A., Ramapo College of New Jersey; M.A., CUNY Graduate Center).
  • Amy Zanoni, Rutgers University (B.A., McGill University; M.A., University of Maryland, Baltimore County).

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