UC Merced Student Makes Campus History with Goldwater Scholarship

Avinav Biswas, a third-year undergraduate majoring in biological sciences at UC Merced, has been named a 2026 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, becoming the university's first recipient of one of the nation's most prestigious undergraduate awards for students pursuing research careers in science, engineering and mathematics.

The scholarship provides $7,500 annually to support tuition, fees, books and living expenses. It is awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional research achievement and promise, and who plan to pursue careers centered on scientific discovery.

"It is primarily a recognition of research achievement and future potential," Biswas said.

One of 454 students nationwide selected for the 2026-27 academic year, Biswas stood out from a highly competitive pool of nominees from more than 480 institutions. From an estimated 5,000 eligible sophomores and juniors, fewer than 1,500 students were nominated to compete.

Biswas is the only UC Merced student to receive the award this year.

His research focuses on air quality and public health - a field deeply influenced by personal experience.

"My interest in air quality research stems from personal experiences in Delhi, India, where I saw firsthand how severely air pollution can impact health and daily life," said Biswas, who was living in Los Angeles before coming to UC Merced. "That exposure motivated me to work on improving air quality in communities like Merced and eventually at a larger scale."

At UC Merced, Biswas has worked under the mentorship of Professor Adeyemi Adebiyi and graduate student Minhazul Kibria, studying air quality sensor systems and local pollution patterns. His work has contributed to the installation of two new air quality sensors on campus, strengthening monitoring capacity and supporting healthier environments for students and the surrounding community.

"I plan to use the scholarship to further develop my research career and fully immerse myself in my work, particularly in air quality and public health," Biswas said.

Adebiyi described Biswas as an undergraduate whose independence and scientific maturity are rare at his level.

"Biswas is an exceptional student who, during his time in my research group, has grown from a motivated student into a deep-thinking undergraduate researcher with intellectual maturity uncommon for students at his level," Adebiyi said.

In his letter of recommendation, Adebiyi described how Biswas independently designed and executed a campus-wide PM2.5 monitoring campaign, analyzed the data using self-taught Python programming skills, and sole-authored a manuscript published in the UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal. He also presented his findings at the 2025 American Chemical Society Western Regional Meeting and the UC Merced Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center summer symposium.

Among the undergraduates Adebiyi has mentored, he said Biswas ranks "in the top 5% in research independence, productivity and capacity for scientific thinking."

Beyond campus research, Biswas has extended his work into the broader community. He partnered with Cultiva Central Valley, a local public health nonprofit, and delivered six classroom presentations on lung health and air pollution to middle school students in Livingston.

"Winning the Goldwater Scholarship recognizes not only the scientific value of this research, but also the importance of translating research into action," Biswas said. "It affirms that efforts to better understand air pollution and reduce its impact can have national significance, even when they begin with local questions on a university campus."

Biswas plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist, combining research with medical training.

"As a future physician-scientist, I hope to work in an academic medical center where I can both conduct research and help train the next generation of physician-scientists," he said.

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is widely regarded as the preeminent undergraduate award for aspiring researchers in STEM fields. Many alumni go on to earn top national and international fellowships and to lead research efforts that shape science and public policy.

Lorena Anderson