Nine CS Terps Awarded 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Nine current students and recent alums of the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science received prestigious 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships, which recognize outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Since 2014, 174 current students and recent alums from CMNS have been awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. 

This year’s awardees are:

• Anirud Aggarwal (B.S. ’25, computer science; B.S. ’25, mathematics)
• Vatsal Baherwani (B.S. ’25, computer science), New York University
• Nathan Constantinides (B.S. ’25, computer science), senior physics major
• Erin Hopper, computer science and mathematics double-degree student
• Theodore Hsiao (B.S. ’25, computer science), senior bioengineering major
• Gary Peng, computer science and mathematics double-degree student
• Savannah Phillips, bioengineering and computer science double-degree student
• Rishi Pradeep (B.S. ’25, computer science and mathematics)
• Eric Xu, computer science major

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the quality, vitality and strength of the United States' scientific and engineering workforce. The five-year fellowships provide three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000.

Since 1952, NSF has funded over 70,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants. More than 40 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.

—Article adapted from an article by CMNS