Two VIPER students, Andreas Ghosh and Peter Bazianos, have been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award for 2025.
This fellowship recognizes outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based graduate degrees in the US. The award provides 3 years of financial support within a 5-year fellowship period, including an annual stipend of $37,000.
Andreas Ghosh, VIPER class of 2024 (BA in Physics, BSE in CBE), is currently a first-year graduate student at Princeton University, He is jointly advised by Professors Joseph Subotnik and Sharon Hammes-Schiffer. At Penn, Andreas conducted research in photovoltaics and electronic structure theory as part of the Rappe Group.
His research focuses on nonadiabatic dynamics, where he explores the interactions between electronic wave functions and nuclear motion in molecules—a study that challenges the traditional Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Andreas’ work has significant implications for energy research, including applications in superconductivity and photocatalysis.
Peter Bazianos, VIPER class of 2025, is pursuing dual degrees in Physics (BA) and Materials Science and Engineering (BSE). He is an undergraduate researcher in the Rappe Group, where his work lies at the intersection of energy storage, condensed matter physics and materials design.
Following his graduation, he will be pursuing a Ph.D. in materials science at Stanford University, where he aims to develop new methods in machine learning for computational chemistry.
Peter and Andreas’ achievement highlights the significant research they undertook as undergraduates. Their recognition by the NSF GRFP not only celebrates their individual successes but also speaks to the research environment cultivated within Penn’s VIPER program.