The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.  University of Florida FICS Research PhD student Ulbert “Joey” Botero is a 2018 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, he has joined the ranks with preceding fellows including 42 Nobel laureates, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, Google founder, Sergey Brin and Freakonomics co-author, Steven Levitt.

Ulbert’s strong vision of how to use his work to not only impact his research area but also society is a strong indication of how receiving the award will enable him to become a knowledge expert in his area of study and contribute significantly to research, teaching and innovations in science and engineering. “I am extremely grateful and excited to receive the NSF-GRFP award, I can’t wait for the many opportunities this award will present to further my academic and professional career,” said NSF GRFP Fellow Ulbert Botero.