Chemistry Undergraduate Earns Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

Vishwas Rao, a junior majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, is among the 252 winners of the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship this year. He was one of two winners from NC State.

The Goldwater Scholarship is a highly competitive award established three decades ago to enhance academic opportunities for the nation’s top students in science, mathematics and engineering. Honorees have substantial undergraduate research experience and intend to pursue research-focused careers in these fields. The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board for up to two years. The award is named for the late Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the GOP’s nominee for president in 1964.

Rao intends to pursue a Ph.D. focusing on the intersection of chemistry and biology. He eventually wants to manage his own research group and teach at a research-intensive university. His research mentors are chemistry professors Gavin Williams and Jeremiah Feducia at NC State and chemistry professor Matthew Bogyo at Stanford. Rao is a Park Scholar and a member of the University Honors Program.

Another College of Sciences student, Gautam Nagaraj, a sophomore majoring in physics and mathematics, received honorable mention from the Goldwater program.