Victor Rivera-Llabres, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemical Engineering, has been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Rivera-Llabres’ research uses magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic fields to introduce anisotropic microstructures and microporosity to hydrogel scaffolds to enhance nerve regeneration.

“The fellowship is renowned among the scientific community, and I am extremely grateful of being chosen as a recipient,” Rivera-Llabres said. “Just the process of applying and completing the application is a growing experience, so I am extremely happy about this recognition and proactively working to fulfill my goals at hand.”

Rivera-Llabres obtained his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, and joined the lab of Carlos M. Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dean’s Leadership Professor, in the fall of 2019.

“The fellowship brings many resources to my current research and places me in a position in which I can more meaningfully address questions in the scientific community and my field,” Rivera-Llabres said. “I am confident that this fellowship will give me the opportunity to contribute to the academic advancement of science, engineering and humanity. I am very excited about what the future holds.”

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited institutions nationwide.