Three graduate students named Rhodes Scholarship finalists
Three Penn State Eberly College of Science graduate students were selected as finalists for the prestigious and competitive Rhodes Scholarship. Anshuta Beeram, Nate Carey and Kueyoung Kim will participate in final interviews on Nov. 15 and 16.
The Rhodes Scholarship funds two years of graduate studies for its scholars at the University of Oxford in the U.K. Scholars also participate in retreats, workshops, conferences and discussions, as well as social events at Rhodes House in central Oxford. The application and preparation process was facilitated by Penn State Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring with significant support from faculty and staff, as well as alumni who comprised this year’s U.K. committee.
Anshuta Beeram
Beeram, of Ellicott City, Maryland, is enrolled in the accelerated premedical/medical program pursuing bachelor’s degrees in premedical/medical and comparative literature.
She works in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, which follows 10,000 teenagers across the country for 10 years and collects data on their physical, social and psychological development. Beeram’s research, she said, focuses on understanding how sleep can impact brain development and behavioral impulsivity. This past summer, Beeram worked as a community interviewer at the Baltimore study site.
“This experience contributed to my interest in preventive health programs to tackle public health crises such as poor mental health and prevalent substance use,” she said.
Beeram said undergraduate research has fueled her interest in pursuing health policy as a career.
“My research led me to see how disease is intimately connected with lifestyle choices and how those choices are influenced by structural barriers,” she said.
With this idea in mind, Beeram pursued an internship with the National Prevention Science Coalition, where she is exploring mental health and substance use risk from the angle of youth connectedness and loneliness. The goal, she said, is to research policy and evidence-based programs that promote connectedness and pitch these ideas to policymakers.
Beeram traveled to England and Northern Ireland to investigate women’s work in conflict settings, where she conducted interviews with women involved in peacebuilding.
“I was interested in how developing community connectedness can promote peace and resolve conflict,” Beeram said.
She said earning a Rhodes Scholarship would provide training that will increase the impact she can make on the world.
“Technical training in medical anthropology, learning with and from Oxford students, and understanding the intricacies of the U.K.’s health care system will allow me to be a better advocate and change-maker in health care.”
Beeram hopes to become a public health physician and improve the health of large populations through clinical work, research on barriers to health and policy focused on combating barriers.
Nate Carey
Carey, of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, is enrolled in the integrated undergraduate-graduate master of biotechnology program in the Eberly College of Science. He also is enrolled in the entrepreneurship and innovation and military studies minors, and he is an Army ROTC cadet and a Schreyer Scholar. He was a recipient of the 2024-25 Goldwater Scholarship, 2025 Astronaut Scholarship, and a nominee for the 2025 Marshall Scholarship.
Carey has worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Rolls Lab under Melissa Rolls, Paul Berg professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. The research centers on an investigation of microtubule dynamics in neurons using Drosophila (fruit flies) as a model organism. He also has worked as a research technician in the Sartorius Cell Culture Facility. Over the course of a year, Carey was in the lab daily to expand, passage and observe mammalian cells.
“Undergraduate research has changed everything for me,” Carey said. “While my long-term goals have remained consistent since grade school, I now have a much clearer understanding of what my career will look like in research and development. I have also benefited from the opportunity to confirm my serious interest in this type of work by spending hours on end behind the microscope, which I have found to be one of my favorite pastimes.”
Last year, Carey participated in the Max Planck School Matter to Life Undergraduate Research Opportunity at the University of Göttingen, Germany, and Campus Biotech in Geneva through the EPFL Excellence in Engineering Program. He described both experiences as “a blast.”
Carey said earning the scholarship would open significant opportunities for his future and allow him to learn about the differences between scientific research and innovation in the U.S. and U.K., to better help people across the world who are affected with cancer.
“I aim to eventually lead a research group focused on tissue engineering and oncology, and I fully intend to pursue international collaborations that will provide my research with diverse insights and large datasets from far-flung populations,” he said.
Carey has held several other positions in companies, societies, programs and centers, such as the Society for Industrial Biotechnology, Center of Excellence in Industrial Biotechnology, the company BioReact, and the Society for Distinguished Alumni Program.
He described joining Army ROTC as one of the best decisions he has ever made.
“Aside from incredible international experiences in Morocco and Japan and invaluable guidance from my cadre, I have benefited as a leader from perhaps the finest leadership development organization in the world.”
Kueyoung Kim
Kim, of State College, is a chemistry major and Millenium and Schreyer scholar with undergraduate research experience at Penn State and beyond. Kim was a 2023 recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship.
Kim has conducted research at Penn State under Lauren Zarzar, associate professor of chemistry, materials science and engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He said his undergraduate research played an enormous role in determining his academic and professional goals.
“My undergraduate research experiences have spanned a wide range of subjects from drug delivery to sustainable chemistry to theoretical biophysics,” he said. “This breadth has helped me identify my research interest at the nexus of chemistry, physics and biology, which I hope to extend into my career in addressing environmental issues.”
Kim said he was especially proud of publishing two first-author papers with Zarzar, and that another is on the way. He added that he is grateful for the mentorship he received at Penn State.
“Being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship would not only give me an opportunity to pursue my vision for a more sustainable future but would also serve as a chance for me to recognize all the people who have graciously given me their time, support and wisdom over the years to shape who I am today.”
Kim’s other research as an undergraduate includes a research experience for undergraduates (REU) under Robert Carpick, John Henry Towne Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania; Amgen Scholars Program under Matthew Francis, Aldo DeBenedictis Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, UC Berkeley; an internship at the Max Planck Institute in Germany under David Zwicker; and the MIT Summer Research Program under Mark Bathe, professor of biological engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kim said he plans to pursue a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Oxford and then a doctorate, integrating protein engineering and physical chemistry. In the long term, he hopes to lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers as a professor.
He also is proud, he said, of his involvement in Science LionPride and independent science outreach in collaboration with Gina Noh, assistant professor of chemical engineering, in developing science outreach for K-12 students.
Applying for the Rhodes Scholarship
Undergraduates and recent alumni apply for Penn State’s nomination for the Rhodes Scholarship through Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM). Those who receive a nomination then work with the URFM team and an assigned mentor from the U.K. Awards Nominating Committee to prepare their applications for the national competition.
“The URFM team has had the pleasure of working with Kueyoung and Nate since their successful Goldwater Scholarship applications, and Anshuta’s diverse achievements reflect her strong commitment to social justice,” said Tineka Lebrun, URFM director. “We’re thrilled that the Rhodes committee has recognized their accomplishments with a finalist interview invitation.”
This year’s U.K. awards committee at Penn State consisted of:
- Josephine Wee, assistant professor of food science
- Song Tan, Verne M. Willaman Professor of molecular biology
- Jacob Bourjaily, associate professor of physics
- Nick Hartman, startup solutions architecture leader at Amazon Web Services
- Darrin Thornton, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Outreach and teaching professor of music
- Rich Stoller, associate dean, Schreyer Honors College
- Justin Brown, associate professor of biomedical engineering
- Melissa Johnson, associate vice provost and associate dean of undergraduate education
Previous Penn State Rhodes Scholars include Tess Thompson, class of 1997, English; and Zachary Battles, class of 2001, mathematics and computer science. Other finalists in recent years include Rebecca Funk, class of 2007; Laura Guay in 2021; and Luisina Kemanian-Leites and Brandon Bixler in 2023.
URFM will offer events throughout the spring semester for those interested in applying to the Rhodes Scholarship and other competitive fellowship opportunities that allow students to study around the world.
URFM is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.