MACON, Ga. — Mercer University 2025 graduate Hannah Higgins was awarded the prestigious U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP), providing three years of financial support over five years.
Recipients were selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 14,000 applicants nationwide, based on their intellectual merit and potential to contribute to scientific innovation. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated early in their careers the potential to be high-achieving scientists and engineers.
From Fayetteville, Higgins earned her biomedical engineering degree from Mercer and is currently a first-year doctoral student in bioengineering at Northeastern University. She is conducting research that focuses on a condition called Chiari type I malformation (CMI) to uncover the underlying pathology of symptoms in CMI and other related disorders.
CMI is a condition where the lower part of the brain extends into the spinal canal through the skull base, often causing pressure on the brain and spinal cord. Higgins was diagnosed with CMI at age 13, and she experienced tremors, numbness, weakened muscle control and paralysis. She underwent treatment that provided temporary relief, but she said her condition is lifelong and incurable.
“This fellowship will allow me to operate as a patient-scientist, studying the pathology of my own neurological condition and helping other disabled and chronically ill students in engineering have a voice in research,” said Higgins. “My background in fluid mechanics and my personal experience living with CMI and its comorbidities uniquely position me in my field — allowing me to connect with research subjects, ease their experience in the lab and translate complex findings into terms that resonate from a patient’s perspective.”
The 2026-2027 cohort represents a wide range of disciplines, including engineering; computer and information science and engineering; mathematical and physical sciences; geosciences; biological sciences; social, behavioral and economic sciences; and STEM education and learning research.
“GRFP fellows have driven remarkable progress across the STEM landscape, from pioneering basic research and transformative technologies to unlocking critical advances in national security and other key areas, to founding some of the nation’s most innovative companies,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “I’m excited to see how these emerging STEM leaders will shape the future over the course of their careers.”
At Mercer, Higgins was a recipient of the Griffin B. Bell Award and a member of the Engineering Honors Program and Tau Beta Pi Honors Society. She also worked as a fabrication lab teaching assistant.
About the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
The purpose of the NSF GRFP is to help ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support.
