New HMC Graduates Awarded Department of Energy Fellowship

In May 2024, Tanvi Krishnan (computer science and physics) and William Yik (computer science and mathematics) graduated with their classmates as members of Harvey Mudd College’s Class of 2024. Just over a month later, the rising doctoral students were awarded the 2024–2025 U.S. Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF), granted to doctoral students focusing on computing and mathematics. 

Established in 1991 and funded by the DOE Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration, the DOE CSGF program trains emerging leaders in computational science to solve complex science and engineering problems. Program fellows learn to apply high-performance computing (HPC) to research in disciplines like quantum computing, particle physics, computational chemistry, bioinformatics, climate and atmospheric sciences and applied mathematics. 

Krishnan and Yik will each receive a $45,000 annual stipend, full payment of university tuition and fees toward their studies and an annual academic allowance. The fellowship is renewable for up to four years and guided by a comprehensive program of study that requires focused coursework in science and engineering, computer science, applied mathematics and HPC. Fellows will also complete a three-month practicum at one of 21 DOE laboratories across the U.S.

Krishnan is pursuing a PhD in experimental neutrino physics at Harvard University, working on the IceCube neutrino experiment. Her goal is to become a computational physicist studying neutrinos. “The fellowship will give me access to computational resources which are extremely applicable for large-scale experiments like IceCube,” says Krishnan. “It will also give me opportunities to explore the field through a practicum at a national lab.” 

Yik remains on the West Coast and is pursuing a PhD in atmospheric sciences at University of Washington in Seattle, where he’ll study applications of machine learning for improving climate projections. After his PhD, Yik hopes to find a research position in climate predictability, a growing field in industry and government, or join academia and nurture his enjoyment of teaching. 

“The fellowship aligns well with my studies and future career goals because of its focus on applications of computational science within the physical sciences,” says Yik. “The internship at a DOE lab is incredibly useful for building experience in research and connecting with successful scientists, and the financial support will afford me more freedom in my graduate school research.” 

Past Harvey Mudd alumni recipients of the DOE CSGF include Fred Streitz ’83, Gordon Hogenson ’92, Robin Rosenfeld ’95, Michael Wolf ’98, Samuel Skillman ’07, Aurora Pribram-Jones ’09, Hong Sio ’11, Priya Donti ’15, Jonas Kaufman ’17, Madeleine Kerr ’20 and Taylor Sloop-Cabral ’20.