The 2025 awardees of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) include three CIERA members: Miguel Ceja, Nathalie Korhonen Cuestas and Dean Kousiounelos! The GRFP recognizes outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time, research-based masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering or math or STEM education. The awards provides students with three years of support over a five-year fellowship period while they are in graduate school.
Miguel Ceja
“Winning the NSF GRFP feels like a culmination of years of hard work, persistence, and growth. While I know that my journey as a researcher is far from over, this fellowship marks a turning point – it feels like a transition from learning to leading. Receiving this fellowship affirms that I’m ready to take a more active role in shaping the future of my field.”
Miguel is pursuing a PhD in Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research in the lab of Selim Shahriar, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, focuses on developing ultra-sensitive optomechanical sensors to test theories of non-linearity in quantum mechanics.
Nathalie Korhonen Cuestas
“I feel extremely lucky to have been awarded a GRFP. I’m grateful to all of my mentors who have supported my development as a scientist.”
Nathalie studies the evolution of galaxy properties over cosmic time using large spectroscopic surveys such as the Keck Baryonic Structure Survey and the upcoming Prime Focus Spectrograph Survey in the lab of Allison Strom, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy.
Dean Kousiounelos
“I was thrilled to receive the NSF GRFP—it opens new doors for my research and fuels my mission to make astronomy more accessible and inspiring to the public.”
Dean’s interest in astronomy focuses on the evolution of binary star systems into gravitational wave-emitting compact objects. He uses high-performance computing (HPC) to simulate detailed models and large populations of binary stars. An incoming graduate student and alumnus of CIERA’s REACH and REU programs, Dean previously worked for two years in the lab of CIERA Director Vicky Kalogera.