April 3, 2023
Lauren Kendall, a first-year graduate student who is pursuing a Ph.D. under the advisement of Ann Chen, has been selected as a Fellow of the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
The program includes a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), as well as access to opportunities for professional development available to NSF-supported graduate students. The GRFP dates back more than 70 years, making it the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, and it has historically funded a little more than 10% of applicants.
Kendall’s research focuses on utilizing Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), a rapidly evolving technique for mapping ground deformation from space, to study earthquake cycles in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea region.
“My goal is to develop robust processing techniques for interpreting satellite data from Sentintel-1 and NISAR missions, and subsequently create the first comprehensive InSAR surface deformation dataset over one of the world’s most tectonically active subduction zones,” said Kendall.
Kendall said her time as a graduate student at UT Austin will provide the necessary training to mature into a radar scientist, along with mentorship from Chen, which will enhance her abilities to advance the field of radar remote sense. She plans to work in industry following the completion of her Ph.D.
Since 1952, NSF has funded more than 60,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants. Currently, 42 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences. In addition, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program has a high rate of doctorate degree completion, with more than 70 percent of students completing their doctorates within 11 years.
