Yale trio among the first group of Quad Fellows in STEM fields

Three Yale students are among the inaugural group of Quad Fellows, a scholarship designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists.

The Quad Fellowship sponsors 100 exceptional American, Japanese, Australian, and Indian master’s and doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to study in the United States.

Recipients from Yale are Maya Foster, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering; Emma Louden, a Ph.D. candidate in astronomy; and Masashi Kaneda, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical and environmental engineering.

The fellowship develops a network of science and technology experts committed to advancing innovation and collaboration in the private, public, and academic sectors, in their own nations and among Quad countries. The program is operated and administered by the philanthropic group Schmidt Futures in consultation with a non-governmental taskforce composed of academic, foreign policy, and private sector leaders from each country.

Foster, who is from the U.S., works on developing computational methods to understand severe mental illness. She aims to develop innovative methods that unearth actionable insights from brain imaging data that are predictive about the developmental course of psychotic symptoms.

Louden, who is also from the U.S., studies the geometry of exoplanetary systems. A Magna Cum Laude graduate from Princeton University in 2020, she is deeply committed to sharing her passion for astronomy to spark curiosity and excitement in future scientists, especially gender minorities in STEM.

Kaneda, who is from Japan, is developing technologies to address the global water security problem. After graduating from Hokkaido University with B.S. and M.S. degrees, he came to the U.S. to pursue cutting-edge research through international collaboration.

Each Quad Fellow will receive a one-time award of $50,000 which can be used for tuition, research, fees, books, room and board, and related academic expenses (e.g., registration fees, research-related travel). All Quad Fellows are eligible to apply for separate demonstrated needs-based funding of up to $25,000 to cover costs related to completing graduate-level studies.

“Today we are proud to welcome a group of 100 diverse, interdisciplinary, inspiring, and exceptional students — 25 from each Quad country — who are the next-generation of great STEM minds,” said U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ’98, ’03 J.D., in a White House statement congratulating the recipients.

Each of them, he said, has demonstrated a commitment “to advancing innovation and collaboration among our four great democracies and an enthusiasm for building a better tomorrow for the Indo-Pacific and the world.”