They’re on their way to great scientific careers!
Two recent Hunter alumni have won National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships in a grant cycle that funded only half the usual number of awards — about 1,000 — nationally.
Nibras Ahmed MHC ’21 is a researcher at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and teaches biology part-time at Hunter. Ayaz Khan ’24 will enter a PhD program in data science in the fall. The two will receive an annual stipend of $37,000 for the next three years, with another $16,000 toward their cost of education, for a total of $159,000 in support of their graduate training.
The awards exemplify Hunter’s commitment as an anchor institution to providing high-impact research opportunities for young change-makers. Inspired by the varied life experiences students bring to the classroom, Hunter’s faculty and staff invest deeply in student success. For more than 150 years, Hunter has been one of the nation’s most diverse higher education institutions and one of its most effective engines of social mobility.
Both young men stood out for their educational attainments and leadership ability while at Hunter.
As a sophomore, Ahmed — born to Bangladeshi immigrants and raised on Long Island — won a Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, which funds three summers of internships for students from New York City schools. A double major in human biology and economics, he went on to win a Goldwater Scholarship as a junior, the nation’s most prestigious undergraduate science award. This fall, he will begin a PhD program in cancer biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He says his interests in economics and biology come from the same idea: understanding the smallest change that can lead to lasting impact — whether it’s a molecule or a microcredit.
Khan, a Thomas Hunter Honors Scholar, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in statistics and minored in computer science. He was also a Leon Cooperman Business Fellow and had an Eva Kastan Grove Fellowship, which provides mentorship, professional development, and a financial award to students who are committed to public service and human rights.
Born in the United States, Khan was raised in Bangladesh and returned as an undergrad, handling his parents’ immigration without the assistance of a lawyer. He supported them during their first year back in the states while a full-time student.
“I always enjoyed mathematics from a young age, and statistics allowed me to understand the world on an applied level,” Khan said. “My curiosity drove me to want to learn everything that has been already discovered, so that I could one day give my input on a new discovery.”
Hunter’s Office of Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships has a stellar record of preparing students for competitive scholarships and fellowships. In recent years, the college has produced two Rhodes, three Marshall, seven Schwarzman, five Luce, eight Goldwater, and 39 Fulbright Scholars among many other prestigious awardees.
