We are in the midst of an extraordinarily challenging period, and I want to thank you for all that you are doing to promote the health and wellness of our communities.

You will have read in the letter that graduate students may continue to conduct on-campus research, including working in libraries and labs. Graduate student teaching assistants, fellows and instructors will be expected to continue with their teaching using remote learning. If you have not done so already, please read the president's email closely.

Alex is from Niskayuna, NY, a small town near the state capital of Albany and he graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor of arts degree in computer science and history.

Joshua is a fifth-year master’s student from St. Lucia who completed his undergraduate degree at Brown in Biomedical Engineering.

Doctoral certificate programs are open to all PhD students and provide an opportunity to gain expertise in a second area beyond the home discipline. There are currently nine Certificate offerings in a variety of areas across the University.

William Goedel, a doctoral candidate in Epidemiology, first began working in HIV prevention research as an undergraduate at NYU and is passionate about advancing prevention technology and strategies.

Six recently completed doctoral candidates kick off the spring semester teaching their own, individually devised and crafted courses.

Sophie is from Philadelphia, PA and earned her bachelor’s degree in history with minors in government, Latin American studies and Spanish from Skidmore College.

Masatoshi is from Ichikawa city, Japan where he received a master of science in theoretical particle physics from Tohoku University.

Marco is originally from Beijing, China. He moved to Worcester, MA to attend high school, then completed his undergraduate degree at Boston University in Business Administration with a dual-concentration in finance and strategy.

Nathan Goff is a third-year doctoral Chemistry student and a Rhode Island native. He grew up in Cranston and completed his undergraduate studies at Rhode Island College in chemistry and physics.

Nine new Community Fellows have been chosen for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Wenbo is from Shanghai, China, and received his Bachelor of Science in theoretical and applied mechanics at the University of Science and Technology of China.

Welcome back to campus and to the start of the fall semester! As we begin to settle in to the academic year, I want to highlight some of our newest resources and initiatives related to graduate education.

Kevin is a fifth-year master’s student from North Kingstown, RI. He completed his undergraduate degree with honors in Comparative Literature in English and Spanish in May 2019.

“It is such a privilege to work with people who are beautiful human beings—on the inside and out—that I genuinely enjoy being around. I am especially grateful for the families in the Ola Tuputupua’e study who have welcomed us into their homes and trust us with their information to understand how children are growing up in Samoa,” she says of her experiences thus far.

The Graduate Student Council welcomes all graduate students to another productive and meaningful year. We are excited to continue our mission serving as the official liaisons between all graduate students and the University, as well as fostering a broader sense of community across programs.

Political Science PhD student Rob Grace was recently awarded the Peace Scholar Dissertation Fellowship for his research on the politics of humanitarian action, with a particular emphasis on humanitarian access obstruction.

Eight doctoral students were awarded Global Mobility Research Fellowships for the 2019-20 academic year:

Théo Lepage-Richer, a third-year PhD student in Modern Culture and Media, was recently selected for a Doctoral Fellowship by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Graduate students Watufani Poe, Katherine Freeze and Geoffrey Wildanger have recently completed their Fulbright year with research in Brazil, Tajikistan and Germany respectively. They share highlights of their research and study, key moments from the year and advice for future Fulbright applicants.

Graduate students from across campus groups have joined together to plan and execute a number of events this summer.

The Open Graduate Education Program at Brown grants select doctoral students the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in a secondary field. The Open Graduate Education program enables students to bridge two research areas in collaborative and engaging ways, further advancing their studies in each field.

Amanda earned her PhD in Africana Studies and is currently working as the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow and as Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow at the Marron Institute of Urban Management at New York University. She was also recently elected as a New Alumni Trustee on the Corporation for Brown University.

Prateek is from Odisha, India and has lived in Poland, Australia, Cuba, Austria, Sudan, and now the United States. He completed his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Economics from Marist College. Read about his passion for policy and how his experience at Brown to date.

Gabriela Manzano Nieves is interested in the effects of early life stress (ELS) on brain development. A doctoral student in Neuroscience, her research uses mice as models to determine how ELS may delay and/or alter brain growth. Yet, Manzano Nieves’ interests lie beyond the purely scientific. Using science to aid in the crafting of sound and just public policy is also a key part of her work.

Master’s student Yvonne Navarrete is the Ruth J. Simmons Urban Education Policy Scholarship recipient for 2019. She is excited to be learning from experts in the field of education and to develop the skills needed to evaluate and understand the world of urban education politics and policies.

The 2019 Joukowsky Family Foundation Outstanding Dissertation Awards will be awarded to Reyhan Durmaz, William Jordan, Evgenios Kornaropoulos and Florian Gunsilius as they receive their doctoral degrees from Brown University on May 26.

Vanessa Ryan and Laura Sobik will receive the 2019 Graduate Student Council (GSC) Wilson-DeBlois and Bates-Clapp awards. Each year the GSC honors two staff members recognized by remarkable contributions to graduate students and the Graduate School.

Horace Mann Medal Awarded to Professor of Physiology and Biophysics

Four graduate students received the honor of being recognized for their teaching skills at the University Award Ceremony on April 29. David Abel (Computer Science), Kimberly Lewis (Anthropology), John Santiago (Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry) and Abner Santos (Portuguese and Brazilian Studies) all received incredible recommendations from faculty and former students.

Robinson’s role at the Graduate School involves assisting with the management and administration of distinctive opportunity programs such as Open Graduate Education, Research Matters, Brown Executive Scholar Training (BEST) and more.

Marlin is a third-generation Afro-Cuban raised in Michigan and New York. He received a master’s degree in Political Economics from Columbia University and his bachelor’s degree in International Affairs, Political Science and Latino Studies from the University of Michigan.

Sarah Cabral is a fourth-year student in the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry program and a Brown University Presidential Fellow. She shares how her love of science has grown into a love of teaching.

Laura Garbes, Kirun Sankaran, Karina Santamaria, and Federico Zangani will teach at Wheaton College during the 2019-2020 academic year.

Erendina earned her master’s in Public Humanities from Brown. She is currently an Associate Curator of History at the Oakland Museum of California and has earned awards from the American Alliance of Museums and the National Council on Public History.

Ellis is from Houston, Texas and completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Northeastern University. Read about her passion for global health and education and post-graduation plans.