Graduate Top-off Fellowship

Deadlines: March 3. (In the event that a deadline falls upon a weekend or a university holiday, that deadline will move to the first workday following the posted date.)

Award Amount: Top-off awards of $5,000/year for 2 years.

Directions: Department Chairs should submit application materials electronically in digital form to the WiSE program office at wiseprog@usc.edu.

Graduate Top-Off Fellowship funds are available to facilitate the recruitment of outstanding doctoral students to USC. The funds provide four incoming Ph.D. students in WiSE-eligible departments in the USC Dornsife College and four incoming Ph.D. students in the Viterbi School of Engineering with a WiSE Fellowship to supplement their financial support packages. Each WiSE Fellowship will carry a stipend of $5,000 and may be renewed for a second year pending satisfactory progress verified by the faculty advisor.

Each department may nominate candidates based on the size of the department or section’s PhD Program, as follows:

  • departments/sections with 1-75 total PhD students: max of 1 nomination
  • departments/sections with 76-175 todal PhD students: max of 2 nominations
  • departments/sections with > 175 total PhD students: max of 3 nominations

Departments with more than one nomination should rank the nominees. Nominations and supporting documentation should be submitted electronically.

Goal: The primary goal of the Graduate Top-Off Fellowship program is to facilitate the recruitment of outstanding doctoral students to USC. Funds from the WiSE program provide $5,000 stipends to each of four incoming Ph.D. students in USC Dornsife and the Viterbi School of Engineering and may be renewed for a second year pending good progress in the student’s program.

Eligibility: Up to four non-transferrable fellowships are offered to entering PhD students in WiSE-eligible departments in the USC Dornsife and USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Candidates must have already been awarded full departmental and/or university support equivalent to a 50% graduate assistantship (for instance, a 50% graduate assistantship, a 50% teaching assistantship, or some combination thereof). The WiSE Fellowship will then be used to “top-off” the existing regular support offer.

Nomination Process: Each WiSE-eligible department is allowed to nominate candidate(s) based on PhD program size (please rank if more than one). The nomination materials must be submitted electronically by the deadline to the WiSE Program office at wiseprog@usc.edu. Any faculty member (research or tenure track) with Ph.D. supervision privileges is eligible to submit nominations through their department. Research faculty without these privileges may also apply together with a tenure-track member in an advisory role. The following information must be submitted for each nominee:

  • A copy of the student’s application for admission which should include GRE scores, GPA for undergraduate and graduate studies (if applicable), research statement from the candidate’s general application, and at least two letters of support from previous mentors.
  • A brief statement from the department chair that describes how the support of these students will serve to increase the representation of women in science and engineering.

The WiSE Committee in USC Dornsife College and in the Viterbi School of Engineering will rank the applicants and offers will be extended to the top four candidates in each unit. Funds from the WiSE Program will provide two years of a WiSE Fellowship stipend for each student selected. Departments are encouraged to provide one additional year of the Fellowship for a total of three years as a Top-Off Fellow. Before awarding the second year continuation of the Fellowship, the satisfactory progress of the student will be verified. In the event that a student is not making satisfactory progress, the Fellowship will not be renewed.

2023-2024

  • Melissa Banks, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Yixuan Huan, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Sanaiya Islam, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Anamika Nanda, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Hasti Asrari, Marine and Environmental Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Maria Bustos, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife

2022-2023

  • Liu Shuohong, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Rhianna Hynie-Cion, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Jasmine Cisneros, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Kimberly Schoenberger, Marine Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Handan Cetin, Quantitative and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife

2021-2022

  • Pyone Myat Thwe, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Molly Klug, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Nina Barr, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Maria Carmen Ramos, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Paulina Smaruj, Quantitative and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Justine Grabiec, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Negar Ahani, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Sandra Lara Galindo, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Tara Cornwell, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Brihi Joshi, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering

2020-2021

  • Marella Schammel, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Lucine Oganesian, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Michaela Jacobs, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Eloise Pedersen, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Sanjana Rajeev, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Tina Peng, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Sacha Greenfield, Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife

2019-2020

  • McKenna Peplinksi, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Patrycia Krawczuk, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Madhavi Rajiv, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Jessica Andrews, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Ana Gurgenidze, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Taylor Dal Bon, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Meagan He, Marine Biology, USC Dornsife

2018-2019

  • Yingqi Zhang, Marine Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Megan Franke, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Chenchen Zhaom Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Darian Bender, Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife
  • Brianna Thielen, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Mythili Surendran, Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Hannah Schlaerth, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Lillian Clark, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering

2017-2018

  • Marisa Papp, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Sarah Cooney, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Emily Reed, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Brenda Ontiveros, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Rachel Buiter, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Christina Cole, Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife

2016-2017

  • Xuan-Truc Nguyen, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Ariel Vaughn, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Xuening Wen, Marine Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Linda Ding, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Reena Joubert, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife

2015-2016

  • Fatemeh Alishahi, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Savannah Kapper, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Andrea Suarez, Human and Evolutionary Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Grace Chong, Molecular and Computational Biology, USC Dornsife

2014-2015

  • Siyang Li, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Rebecca Peer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Yi-Ching Chiu, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Sara Marie McCarthy, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Elizabeth Horcher, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Emma Singer, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Beatriz Garcia-Barboza, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Jessica Stellman, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Xiling Li, Neurobiology, USC Dornsife
  • Lindsay Bassman, Physics and Astronomy, USC Dornsife

2013-2014

  • Jennifer Smolke, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Audra Bardsley, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Beatriz Garcia-Barboza, Chemistry, USC Dornsife

2012-2013

  • Adriana Nicholson, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Jennifer Hastings, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Jennifer Smolke, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Audra Bardsley, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Wanlin Guo, Neurobiology, USC Dornsife
  • Heidi Schmid, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Elizabeth Petsios, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Natalie Martinez Takeshita, Marine Environmental Biology, USC Dornsife

2011-2012

  • Adriana Nicholson, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Seraina Murphey, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Wanlin Guo, Neurobiology, USC Dornsife
  • Elizabeth Petsios, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Heidi Schmid, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Natalie Martinez Takeshita, Marine Environmental Biology, USC Dornsife

2010-2011

  • Franziska Meier, Computer Science, , Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Yi Li, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Theodora Chaspari, Electrical Engineering – Systems, , Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Laura Klein, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Jaimie Stomberg, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Leslie Bateman, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Johanna Holm, Marine Environmental Biology, USC Dornsife

2009-2010

  • Kristen Pudenz, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Franziska Meier, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Rachel Millin, Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Jaimie Stomberg, Chemistry, USC Dornsife

2008-2009

  • Yuan Li, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Kristen Pudenz, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Rowan Martindale, Earth Science, USC Dornsife
  • Katarzyna Wasilewska, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Rachel Millin, Biological Sciences, USC Dornsife

2007-2008

  • Keriann Oertell, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Yi Chen Chang, Physics, USC Dornsife
  • Katarzyna Wasilewska, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Rowan Martindale, Earth Science, USC Dornsife
  • Yuan Li, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering

2006-2007

  • Yen-Ming Lee, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Neta Wescher, Earth Science, USC Dornsife
  • Wan-Kung Kuo, Physics, USC Dornsife
  • Keriann Oertell, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Yi Chen Chang, Physics, USC Dornsife

2005-2006

  • Nazli Kahveci, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Feili Hou, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Yen-Ming Lee, Industrial & Systems Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Jessica Quinn, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Jessica Coe, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Neta Wescher, Earth Sciences, USC Dornsife
  • Wan-Kung Kuo, Physics, USC Dornsife

2004-2005

  • Jessica Coe, Mathematics, USC Dornsife
  • Jessica Quinn, Chemistry, USC Dornsife
  • Ilana Gilg, Biology, USC Dornsife
  • Andrea Coleen Hamill, Chemical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Heather Boni, Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Nazli Kahveci, Electrical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Feili Hou, Computer Science, Viterbi School of Engineering
  • Sangeetha Somayajula, Electrical Engineering Systems, Viterbi School of Engineering