The 2026 awardees of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) includes CIERA member Elizabeth Moné! 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 award provides students with three years of support over a five-year fellowship period while they are in graduate school.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to apply to the NSF GRFP and for all the help from my research advisors and fellow students! I am beyond thrilled that my hard work has been recognized. I can’t wait to be considered part of a great group of scientifically minded students and alumni. I’m especially grateful to receive this award so that I will have the chance to pursue my most exciting research ideas,” said Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s research focuses on astrophysical fluid dynamics of galaxies, specifically focusing on energy transfer in the circumgalactic medium (CGM), the gaseous region surrounding a galaxy. To do this, she uses the FIRE project simulations, which are built on many sophisticated models for high-resolution, realistic galaxy and cosmological conditions. She seeks to understand the physical processes operating in the CGM within these simulations and apply those insights to real galaxies, helping to explain gaps in current observations.
Elizabeth is an astronomy PhD candidate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences and a member of CIERA. She is advised by Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère.