40 Finalists Named for the 2017 Hertz Fellowships

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation has announced the 40 finalists for its PhD fellowship in applied science, math and engineering for the class of 2017. They were selected from more than 700 applicants. Each Fellowship consists of up to 5 years of academic fiscal support valued at $250,000 and research freedom at a participating graduate institution in the United States. The recipients of the 2017 Hertz Foundation Fellowship will be notified in the spring.

“We are pleased to make this announcement,” stated Robbee Baker Kosak, Hertz Foundation President. “With such an outstanding field of applicants, it was quite challenging to select only 40 finalists. The Selection Committee will have a very difficult job during the final round of interviews and the final selection of 12 recipients. I wish each of the Finalist well.”

Since 1963, the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation has been providing PhD Fellowships to exceptionally talented individuals expected to have the greatest impact on the application of science, math and engineering to human problems. It is the legacy of John Hertz, a Hungarian immigrant who made his fortune by capitalizing on the entrepreneurship prospects in the budding automotive industry, and who strongly believed that innovative and entrepreneurial solutions were vital to the strength, security and prosperity of our nation.

Today, The Hertz Fellows number nearly 1,200—66 of whom are currently pursuing their PhDs. Together, they comprise one of the most influential groups of leaders, innovators, engineers, mathematicians, and scientists found in the American corporate, university, national laboratory and military sectors. In addition to financial support, the Foundation provides ongoing mentoring, symposia, and retreats to build a network of peers, providing Fellows a forum to share ideas and explore opportunities throughout their careers.

In 2011, the Foundation became a public charity, a status that enables it to mobilize the Hertz Community and many others to raise additional funds for growing and extending the Hertz Foundation’s legacy.

Finalists are listed with their field of study and present or recent school.

Deniz Aksel
Biophysics
Harvard University

Han Altae-Tran
Biological Engineering
MIT

Andrew Bader
Mechanical Engineering
MIT

Alec Brenner
Earth and Geosciences
California Institute of Technology

Wes Brown
Chemical Biology
University of Pittsburgh

Rebecca Carlson
Biological Engineering
Michigan State University

Iris Cong
Physics
UC Los Angeles

Colin Defant
Mathematics
University of Florida

Jordan Doman
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
University Pennsylvania

Alyssa Ferris
Biological Engineering
Stanford University

Andrew Fraser
Biomedical Engineering and Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

Shawn Gregory
Materials Science and Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology

Ofer Grossman
Theoretical Computer Science
MIT

Richard Hall
Biological Engineering
Stanford University

Linus Hamilton
Applied Mathematics
MIT

Blake Hauser
Quantitative Biology
University of Cambridge

Preston Kemeny
Geological and Planetary Science
California Institute of Technology

Robert Kim
Neuroscience
UC San Diego

Ethan Lake
Physics
University of Utah

Hannah Larson
Mathematics
Harvard University

Joseph Levin
Systems Biology
Queen’s College

Jason Li
Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University

Craig Martin
Earth and Geosciences
University of St. Andrews

Aran Nayebi
Quantitative Biology and Bio-Engineering
Stanford University

Lila Neahring
Synthetic Biology
UC San Francisco

Christopher Panuski
Applied Physics
U.S. Naval Academy

Gregory Parker
Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Harvard University

Alexander Powers
Chemistry
UC Berkeley

Suhas Rao
Quantitative Biology
Stanford University

Semen Rezchikov
Mathematics
Columbia University

Jacob Shenker
Biophysics
Harvard University

Ellen Shrock
Biological Engineering
Harvard University

Andrey Sushko
Experimental and Applied Physics
Harvard University

Ashvin Swaminathan
Mathematical Physics
Harvard University

John Tomko
Materials Science
University Virginia

Annie Wei
Physics
Perimeter Institute

Yuval Wigderson
Applied Mathematics
Stanford University

Shannon Wongvibulsin
Biological Engineering
Johns Hopkins University

Young Wu
Aerospace Engineering
U.S. Air Force Academy

Kevin Zhou
Physics
MIT