Cheyenne Higgs during a 2024 summer Undergraduate Research Program (URP) poster session. Photo by Michael Siarkowski.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alum Cheyenne Higgs, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in December 2025, has received the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) award—one of the nation’s top honors for graduate students pursuing research-based degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For Higgs, who will begin pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at Vanderbilt University this fall, the award represents both recognition and opportunity.
“It’s really exciting,” Higgs said. “I think I was more excited about the award than getting into grad school because it was a lot of work and a lot of time. It was really rewarding and satisfying to open the email and find out I had won.”
In April, the NSF awarded 2,500 fellowships nationwide for the 2026-27 academic year from a pool of nearly 14,000 applicants representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
The fellowship provides three years of financial support over a five-year period for graduate study and research.
“I believe right now the stipend is $37,000 that I can choose when to use in my five years of grad school,” Higgs said. “I will essentially be paying for myself to go to grad school and I won’t have to rely on a certain professor or advisor to have money to pay for me to be in their labs. It gives you a lot more freedom in your graduate studies.”
Another UTC alum, Ian Tidwell—who received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in May 2025—also landed an NSF GRFP during the 2026 award cycle. Tidwell, who interned at NASA during his time at UTC, is currently pursuing his master’s at Georgia Tech.
A native of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, Higgs built a resume at UTC that included undergraduate research, conference presentations and national research opportunities. She participated in an NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at the University of Alabama, presented research at the TECHCON 2025 semiconductor conference, and received a SEARCH Award in 2024.
Much of her research experience centered on work with UC Foundation Associate Professor of Chemistry Jared Pienkos, who said Higgs stood out almost immediately after joining his lab.
Pienkos said Higgs joined the research group shortly after completing freshman chemistry and “quickly demonstrated both technical skill and independence in the laboratory, as she picked up on everything very quickly.”
“Cheyenne was just phenomenal with everything, understanding the theory and actually being able to apply the theory to make molecules,” Pienkos said. “By the time she was a junior, she could just do everything herself.
“Her first summer, she needed help learning how to do the synthesis and make molecules, but by her second summer, I could say something like, ‘Why don’t you try this?’ and she was able to carry out everything very independently.”
Higgs said the fellowship proposal grew directly from research she conducted in Pienkos’ lab.
“My proposal was based on past research we had done,” she said. “We published a paper about synthesizing new iridium and ruthenium oxide compounds, which they can use for hypoxia imaging by looking at the different emission changes of the molecules in tumor cells.”
She said the proposal expanded on earlier findings and explored new approaches for improving imaging results.
“After we got the results for that research, we came up with some new ways to tune these molecules that might have even better results,” Higgs said.
She said her interest in inorganic chemistry developed through that research experience.
Pienkos, who credited UTC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Director of Pre-Award Services Ashley Ledford for helping support the application process, said Higgs’ selection for the NSF GRFP reflects how highly she is already regarded within the scientific community.
“By winning this award, she’s basically marked as one of the best of the best,” he said. “Not only does Vanderbilt have faith in her because they accepted her, but a funding organization already has faith in her as a researcher.”
Cheyenne Higgs holds an award certificate at the 2025 chemistry and physics department’s award ceremony. Photo by Michael Siarkowski.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Meredith Barbee started an NSF GRFP writing group in the chemistry department several years ago to help students navigate the fellowship application process. Part of the application requires students to write an original research proposal and a personal statement.
“Encouraging students to apply for the fellowship has become a passion project for me,” Barbee said. “The fellowship is highly competitive, so when a student wins, it opens doors for them in their graduate careers and is an exciting recognition of what UTC students are capable of.”
Barbee said Higgs’ success reflects both her research accomplishments and the work she invested throughout the application process.
“Cheyenne was an excellent student throughout her time at UTC,” Barbee said. “It was a pleasure to read her proposal drafts and watch her ideas evolve. The award is well-deserved, and I am so excited to see what she accomplishes in her scientific career.”
Since the 2023-24 application cycle, six UTC students have submitted applications through the writing group, with Higgs becoming the second recipient during that span— joining 2024 winner Christine Rukeyser.
Barbee said the experience itself carries value regardless of the outcome.
“I consider winning to be just ‘icing on the cake,’” she said. “Writing a proposal is an excellent learning opportunity for students because it requires high-order thinking skills. They take all the knowledge they have acquired as part of their chemistry education and research experience at UTC and apply it to ask a completely new research question.”
Dr. Keenan Dungey, head of the Department of Chemistry, said Higgs’ fellowship speaks to the preparation students receive within the program.
“This fellowship is highly prestigious and Cheyenne was competing with students from all over the country,” Dungey said. “Her application was strengthened by the experiential learning opportunities she had in the department.
“The investment our faculty make in our students and the work that our students do during their time at UTC is reflected in these positive outcomes. The NSF GRFP is another mark of distinction for our department.”
He added that the department’s investment in student development continues to produce results.
“Our chemistry and biochemistry majors are receiving an excellent undergraduate education,” Dungey said. “Our curriculum is approved by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society, one of the largest scientific societies in the world. Our faculty are committed to rigor and the highest standards in the discipline.”
Higgs said faculty support played a major role throughout her time at UTC and during the fellowship application process. When she learned she had received the fellowship, one of her first reactions was reaching back out to the people who helped her get there.
“The first thing I did was email all of them,” Higgs said. “Hey, thank you so much for helping me through this process.”
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