Five University of South Carolina students have been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, marking the 34th consecutive year the university has at least one Goldwater Scholar.
This year’s winners are Khufu Holly Jr., Hannah Keen, Ria Kothari, Ansley Martin and Reagan Stanton. The five Goldwater Scholars this year set a university record. USC previously had four Goldwater Scholars in 2004 and 2023.
“These Goldwater Scholars have done amazing things,” says Melissa Moss, who serves as the chair for USC’s Goldwater committee. “It was a pleasure to work with each of them during the application process, and now I am excited to see where they take their future research careers."
Four students are South Carolina Honors College students; one is a Capstone Scholar. Since the award was established in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the University of South Carolina has had 77 total scholars.
More than 400 higher education institutions nominate students each academic year for the $7,500 awards, which encourage undergraduate students to pursue research careers in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. A total of 452 scholarships were awarded this year from the 1,485 nominees by 482 institutions.
Holly is a biomedical engineering major in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing with a minor in medical humanities and culture. The Honors College student worked in a Cleveland Clinic lab in summer 2025 and currently works in the Webb lab at USC studying blood vessel injuries resulting from hypertension.
They serve as the founder and editor-in-chief of the Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal.
“I learned how to reflect on my research experiences and leverage my experience outside the classroom to talk about my story and how these have influenced my career trajectory,” Holly says about the application process.
Holly plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist specializing in pediatric infectious diseases while researching treatments for bacterial pathogens and how they interact with human immune systems.
A chemistry major in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in environmental and sustainable engineering, Keen currently works in Susan Richardson’s lab looking at emerging contaminants in water.
She also researches toxicology to examine disinfection by products and is a student in the Honors College.
“Winning Goldwater will give me a community of scholars whom I can connect with and learn about their experiences with graduate school, research, becoming a professor and more,” says Keen, who is also a Stamps Scholar.
She plans to earn a doctorate in environmental chemistry and lead a research group studying harmful toxins in the environment with a focus on identification, toxicity and mitigation.
Kothari is a biochemistry and molecular biology major in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences with a psychology minor. She’s also an Honors College student and McNair Scholar.
She is currently working with Chuanbing Tang’s lab researching antimicrobial peptide polymers. She completed a summer internship with the National Institutes of Health studying small-molecule therapeutics for kidney disease.
Kothari looks forward to how the Goldwater Scholarship will help her pursue a research career in STEM and connect with scientists throughout the country.
“I learned more about what my career goals are and the kind of research I am interested in pursuing,” she says. “If applicants want to expand their abilities as a researcher, they need to create opportunities for them to do so instead of waiting for them to come.”
A neuroscience major in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences and a medical humanities and culture minor, Martin began conducting neuroimaging research the summer after graduating high school.
That led to her current research with Souvik Sen and the Aging Brain Cohort. Martin also helped create the USC Brain Health’s Vibrant Minds program, an expressive arts initiative providing support to older adults with neurological conditions.
“This award will allow me to gain invaluable experience performing research methods that are at the forefront of their field,” says Martin, who serves as the president of the Phi Delta Epsilon medical fraternity. “It will give me the opportunity to conduct truly innovative, multi-modal, translation research.”
Also a Capstone Scholar, Martin wants to pursue a doctorate in neurology to advance biological understanding and translate her research to personalized treatments.
Stanton is a physics major with an astronomy minor in the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. A student in the South Carolina Honors College, she is currently involved in two research projects: studying magnetic fields of dwarf galaxies and designing an instrument to measure circular polarization of the cosmos.
Stanton, who is also treasurer of the Society of Physics Students Club, notes that the scholarship will provide her with a network of connections for her future career.
Her research has been supported by both Magellan and South Carolina Honors College research grants. She's also presented her research at a meeting of the South Carolina Astronomers. She plans to become a research astrophysicist studying extragalactic magnetism.
Students applying for national fellowships and scholarships work closely with top research faculty members. This year’s Goldwater faculty committee was chaired by Melissa Moss (engineering and computing). Committee members were Dave Barbeau (earth, ocean and environment) Mark Uline, (engineering and computing), Yanwen Wu (physics and astronomy) Joshua Cooper (mathematics) Fabienne Poulain (biological sciences) and Aaron Vannucci (chemistry and biochemistry).
Students interested in applying for the Goldwater or other national fellowships should contact National Fellowships and Scholar Programs.