Four VCU students and recent alums earn prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships for 2026

By William Lineberry
Honors College

One Virginia Commonwealth University student and three recent alums have been selected for the 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, a prestigious national initiative that helps graduate students advance their studies in STEM-based disciplines.

The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to the institution. Fellows must be pursuing a master's or doctoral degree at an accredited institution.

"The success of these three remarkable alums and one current student underscores VCU's national and international research prominence as a top 20% global university," said Arturo P. Saavedra, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president and provost. "Underscoring our deep institutional commitment to supporting undergraduate and graduate student research through world-class mentorship and hands-on experiences, VCU is training the next generation of researchers who will solve tomorrow's most complex challenges. Here at VCU, every Ram's a researcher, and this recognition shows our students are competing at the highest levels of American science."

The current VCU student honored as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow for 2026 is:

• Luke Sheakley, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate in the College of Engineering.

The three recent alums honored are:

• Eleanor Sabalewski, a 2025 graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering from the College of Engineering.
• Madison Grove, a 2026 graduate of the VCU Honors College with a double major in physics and mathematical sciences from the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Jessica Nguyen, a 2026 graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering from the College of Engineering.

In addition to the four recipients for 2026, VCU had three alums selected as honorable mention for the fellowship:

• Alyssa Spasic, a 2023 graduate with a degree in biology from the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Jennoa Fleming, a 2024 graduate with a degree in environmental studies from the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability in the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Abigail Brooks, a 2025 graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering from the College of Engineering.

The NSF recipients and honorable mentions used VCU's National Scholarship Office, housed in the Honors College, to apply for the fellowship. The NSO assists students and alums with applying for prestigious national and international scholarships. To learn more about opportunities, visit the NSO website to schedule an appointment.