First cohort of Lokey Doctoral Science Fellows announced

Four students have been selected for the first cohort of Lokey Doctoral Science Fellows, announced by Janet Woodruff-Borden, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School.

“Each of these students is pursuing important scholarly work that will expand the knowledge and understanding of their chosen fields,” said Woodruff-Borden. “We’re very excited to see what this first cohort will accomplish.”

Made possible by a generous donation from Lorry I. Lokey, the fellowships are designed to recognize and support outstanding doctoral students whose research falls within one or more of the National Science Foundation’s research areas.

The fellowships support the students in focusing on their program of research. Each fellow will receive a nine-month stipend at their department’s graduate employee rate in addition to a $6,000 award. Each fellow will also receive a $3,000 research and travel fund allowing them to attend conferences to connect with other scholars in their respective fields and finance research experiments or fieldwork.

Recipients of the Lokey Doctoral Science Fellowships for 2019-20 are:

Candidates for the fellowship were nominated by doctoral programs and reviewed by an awards committee of faculty who made their recommendation to Woodruff-Borden.

The fellowships play an important role in supporting top doctoral candidates in the sciences as they prepare for research careers and in helping UO compete with other universities in recruiting outstanding doctoral students in the sciences. The support from the Lokey Doctoral Science Fellowship will allow each fellows’ programs to increase their doctoral student enrollment by one student for academic year 2019-20. In addition to the fellowships, funds from the Lokey gift are also being used for recruitment of additional students for the incoming fall cohort.

“The Lokey Doctoral Science Fellowships are an important piece in supporting our graduate students in their studies and research,” said Woodruff-Borden. “They help support our current students in addition to helping create more opportunities for graduate students at UO. We are grateful to have a donor like Mr. Lokey who has an avid interest in making sure our university can attract the very best graduate students.”

More information about the Lokey Doctoral Science Fellowships can be found on the Graduate School website.

—By Jesse Summers, University Communications