April 21, 2025

Four UW undergraduates named 2025 Goldwater Scholars

Four University of Washington students have been named Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Foundation, advancing the University’s tradition of undergraduate academic excellence and recognition.

“The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award for students pursuing research careers in the sciences, engineering and mathematics,”​ says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. The UW awardees were selected from over 5,000 students nominated by 445 institutions. A total of 441 scholars were named for 2025.

The 2025 UW Goldwater Scholars are Sofia Dahlgren, Shivani Kottantharayil, Keming Qiu and Sahana Subramanian. “These scholars exemplify the excellence fostered by our public research institution, emerging as future leaders in the evolving research landscape and underscoring the vital role of researchers in shaping our collective future,” says Taylor. Their undergraduate research includes developing therapies for brain injury and disease, researching drug delivery, artificial tissue engineering and studying cell response in heart tissue.

Read on to learn about this year’s UW Goldwater Scholars

Sofia Dahlgren, ’26

Major: Chemical engineering, nanoscience and molecular engineering

Minor: Data science

Hometown: Davis, CA

Sofia Dahlgren’s interest in nanomedicine was sparked after a freshman-year lecture series on engineering healthcare for the brain. This led her to the UW’s Nance Lab, where she focuses on developing nanoparticle-based therapies for brain injury and disease. Right now, she’s formulating particles that can travel into the brain to deliver medicine more effectively for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

In 2024, Dahlgren was nationally selected as a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) participant at Duke University, working to investigate DNA-nanoparticle interactions in autoimmune diseases.

For Dahlgren, “This award is an opportunity to take my research and science communication skills to the next level. With the support of the Goldwater Scholarship, I will dive deeper into my collaboration with researchers from the University of Queensland to explore therapeutics for brain disease.”

Beyond the lab, Dahlgren is an undergraduate research leader and mentors K-12 students in the UW Culture and Science Exchange (CASE) program. She is dedicated to enhancing access to undergraduate research and developing inclusive STEM curricula that reflect diverse cultural backgrounds. Dahlgren led the writing of the Undergraduate Research Individual Development Plan, a tool designed to guide undergraduates in research reflection and project preparation.

Dahlgren plans to complete a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and pursue a research career in biological applications of nanotechnology. “I am grateful to my mentors, Dr. Elizabeth Nance and Dr. Christine Payne, who have challenged me to think critically about the motivation for my work and how it draws from different fields,” says Dahlgren. “I aim to lead a research group using this interdisciplinary approach and reciprocate their mentorship to future generations of engineers.”

Shivani Kottantharayil, ’26

Major: Bioengineering, nanoscience and molecular engineering

Minor: Music

Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA

Shivani Kottantharayil has been researching protein-based hydrogels for drug delivery in the DeForest Lab since her first year at UW. Her interest in tissue engineering was sparked by her first project in the lab, which focused on developing a new type of injectable gel made from proteins to deliver small protein-based medicines.

Kottantharayil is now developing a special type of hydrogel that can respond to multiple signals, making it possible to deliver drugs more accurately. Unlike current hydrogels, which can only react to one signal and are specific to certain cases, her hydrogel can respond to three different signals. This makes it more versatile and useful for treating diseases that have multiple markers or factors.

“The Goldwater Scholarship is a valuable opportunity to dive deeper into my research, and explore the therapeutic potential of hydrogels,” says Kottantharayil. “This award will allow me to dedicate more time to advancing novel biomaterials for drug delivery.”

Kottantharayil is the high school outreach director for UW’s Society of Women Engineers, where she is passionate about inspiring the next generation of women in engineering to pursue research careers. Kottantharayil enjoys baking, reading, and playing the piano, violin and sitar. She is a member of the UW Philharmonic Orchestra and has found that music balances her engineering workload and allows her to reset.

After graduating, Kottantharayil plans to pursue a Ph.D. in bioengineering and continue researching novel protein engineering methods with regenerative medicine applications. Eventually, she hopes to lead her own lab, where she will research tissue engineering and teach at the university level.

“I am grateful to all my mentors who have supported me and encouraged me to pursue a research career, especially Dr. DeForest, Murial Ross, and Cindy Cristopherson, “ says Kottantharayil.

Keming Qiu, ’27

Major: Biochemistry, Dept. Honors

Hometown: Bellevue, WA

Keming Qiu’s first research project, measuring animal pain behavior to evaluate drug efficacy, led to her interest in understanding how pain affects the body at the smallest molecular level. She has worked in Dr. Benjamin Land’s lab for almost three years, studying chronic pain and its comorbidities using biochemical, cellular and behavioral approaches.

Qiu aims to find new ways to change how molecules function to create better treatments for pain. Her current research focuses on studying how proteins interact to release reactive molecules from cell membranes — a process that is linked to opioid tolerance, pain and inflammation.

“The Goldwater Scholarship is an excellent opportunity to reflect on, explore and approach interesting and clinically significant questions that have arisen from my current work,” says Qiu, “and to work from those questions in training new students.”

Qiu enjoys engaging in science outreach to diverse communities through organizations such as UW’s Grey Matters Journal. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. to work with faculty in chemical biology, biophysics and structural biology to visualize and analyze molecular complexes involved in cell signaling dysregulations.

“My past and current mentors, especially Dr. Benjamin Land, Dr. Charles Chavkin, Kaylin Ellioff and Sophia Mar, have provided me countless opportunities to grow,” says Qiu. “I intend to one day mentor emerging researchers in my own lab, while teaching students in research and undergraduate chemistry courses.“

Sahana Subramanian, ’26

Major: Bioengineering and biochemistry

Hometown: Mercer Island, WA

Sahana Subramanian has been passionate about research since she was young. Even before starting her first year at the University of Washington, she joined the Zheng Lab, where she began working on artificial tissue engineering. “Engaging with the Zheng Lab has helped me grow not only as a researcher, but as an individual,” Subramanian says. “The time, effort and dedication that researchers have to create an impact is inspirational!”

Subramanian’s current work at the Zheng Lab explores how blood vessel cells respond in a lab-grown, beating heart tissue model. Engineered heart tissues can mimic real human heart function, but they often miss one crucial feature: blood vessels. Since blood vessels are essential for a healthy heart, Subramanian is exploring how different flow conditions affect their behavior in the lab’s engineered heart tissue— a tissue model with built-in fluid channels. Her work aims to uncover new insights into blood vessel function, which could help improve future experiments using this advanced heart tissue model.

“I am excited to continue working on new applications of artificial tissue engineering with the support of the Goldwater Scholarship,” Subramanian says. Looking ahead, she plans to develop high-impact therapeutic solutions as a clinical researcher.

In addition to the Goldwater Scholarship, Subramanian has earned recognition as a Mary Gates Scholar, Robinson Center Experiential Learning Scholar and Levinson Scholar. She was named an Undergraduate Research Fellow by UW’s Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.

About the Goldwater Foundation

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established in 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Senator Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. The Goldwater Scholarship is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields. Learn more at Goldwater Scholarship.

Learn about scholarship opportunities at UW

Scholarship and fellowship application processes like these are supported by the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships and Awards (OMSFA), a UAA program. OMSFA works with students, faculty and staff to identify and support undergraduate students and alumni in developing the skills and personal insights necessary to become strong candidates for scholarships.