April 29, 2026
Electrical and computer engineering grad student Alex Hardaway and computer science major Gabriella Ramirez will each receive three years of financial support.
At Mizzou Engineering, we educate future leaders whose work will strengthen communities and improve lives around the world. Recently, two such students were selected for National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRF) Program.
Electrical and computer engineering grad student Alex Hardaway and computer science major Gabriella Ramirez will receive three years of financial support including an annual stipend of $37,000.
The award recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.
Gabriella Ramirez
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in May, Ramirez will attend Northwestern University, where she intends to focus on health and human-computer interaction for marginalized communities.
“The fellowship will help me secure grants and opportunities like postdocs and other positions,” Ramirez said. “In the immediate future, it will allow me to pursue the research I want to do. I don’t have to stay on someone else’s grant, and I can follow what I’m genuinely interested in.”
Ramirez credits her interest in engineering to the encouragement of a high school math teacher.
“When I got to college, I had heard that people who like math often go into computer science,” she said. “I had never done computer science before, but I took a class and kept taking more. It just never stopped.”
Ramirez credits Kevin Middleton, associate professor of biological sciences, with helping her build her confidence.
“I had a difficult time initially because I am part of an underrepresented group, and I don’t see a lot of people who look like me,” she said. “Working with Dr. Middleton was where I found my voice.”
Alex Hardaway
Hardaway is currently studying power electronics. He came to engineering by way of math and physics, which he studied as an undergraduate at Illinois State University.
“You learn math and think it’s abstract, and then you see it come alive in physics,” he said. “It almost feels like reading the mind of God, in a way.”
Although Hardaway loved physics, he switched to engineering for graduate study largely for practical reasons.
“With AI and future technologies, power and energy are going to be incredibly important,” he said. “Engineering feels like the forefront of where things are happening. I feel like advancing technology may be the prerequisite for future breakthroughs.”
Hardaway and Ramirez’s NSF GRFs recognize their leadership and commitment to excellence — qualities Mizzou Engineering is focused on developing in all its students.
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