Andrew Stewart

Medicinal chemistry major, Andrew Stewart, lands a coveted National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) award.

I applied for the Goldwater, which is a scholarship for undergraduates who show a promising research career. I got an honorable mention, I didn’t receive that one. But it was still good to be recognized for research potential.

I also just received the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which is awesome because I get to bring my own funding [to graduate school] and I show that I am federally fundable, which is a big thing for postdocs and for getting a job in the future. So, it is very exciting. It also gives me the freedom to just do what I want because I can go to any professor or any lab and say, I’m bringing my own money, so you don’t need to worry about funding me.

I’m interested in substance use disorders. Mostly finding novel therapeutics, pharmaceutical therapeutics, particularly psycho-stimulants. [For example,] if you’re addicted to Adderall, cocaine or methamphetamine, there’s just nothing they have that can help you ween off. With drugs like heroin, at least they have methadone and things like that. But with stimulants, there’s nothing like that. Obviously, we also need better drugs for opiates as well—so really both of those. I’ve done mostly cocaine and heroin research.

Well, my brother is a heroin addict. I guess it was one of those things where I thought I didn’t really want to work with it and then I started doing work in it and was like, actually, this is really satisfying.

I think [it helps] that I’ve done research for a long time. I’ve been in a lab for three and a half years now. Every summer has been spent doing some type of research. So, I think I’ve been at this for a while and I think I’m able to fully articulate ideas. In terms of broader impacts, because I have a personal connection to my research, I have a good understanding of where the needs lie.

I really hope for a career in academia, which is a lot to hope for because it is really hard to get a job as a professor. Hopefully, this makes me competitive already, which is good. I think that being able to guide your own research and research what you’re interested in [is important]. A lot of companies let you have your own “pet project” but also say, this is the thing we need you to work on to make money. But to be able to devote all your time to what you want to look at and the questions you want to answer is really unique.

Yeah, definitely. I taught religion as a high schooler and was a coach from my senior year of high school through my sophomore year of college

In terms of academia, I’m going to the Maze Lab with Ian Maze, where he does some of the most exciting work in the field right now, so obviously he is an inspiration to me. The postdoc in my lab, Craig Warner, is a huge inspiration to me. He’s incredible and a great person.

Personally, my sister is one of my biggest inspirations because she’s always just getting stuff done. I think that kind of pushes me to also get stuff done.

I think the most important lesson I learned is that the application process, whether or not you receive the award, is important. It really helps you hone in your ideas and to think logically about what you want. If you can’t think of why you want whatever your goal is—or whatever you’re applying for—then maybe you should reconsider where you’re going and what you’re doing. In terms of the NSF, you need to fully articulate your research and realize the challenges. It helps you really hone in on what type of language you need to use to get your point across and get someone just as excited about your ideas.