Congratulations to Diahmin Hawkins on being awarded a five-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Congratulations to Diahmin Hawkins on being awarded a five-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award (GRFP) ensures the quality, vitality, and diversity of scientific and engineering careers in the US, and is a catalyst to broadening participation in science and engineering of historically underrepresented groups, including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans. As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the GRFP has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers.

Diahmin Hawkins, the first Columbia University Department of Statistics Bridge-to-PhD Program in STEM student, faced many personal challenges during her educational journey. Those experiences solidified her research interest in the effects of substance abuse amongst disproportionate populations, and has led her to pursue a career in Biostatistics aimed at addressing issues concerning underserved populations.

Diahmin’s research journey has consisted of being a Leadership Scholar for the Department of Homeland Security, where she focused on classified research on the topic of Graph Theory in relation to domestic and foreign affairs. Diahmin also interned for U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, Representative Pat Marsh, and Columbia University Alum Representative John Ray Clemmons at the Tennessee State Capitol where she focused on policies that impact minorities.

More recently, while advised by Dr. Tian Zheng, Diahmin participated in the Biostatistics Epidemiology Summer Training Program (BEST) at Mailman School of Public Health, where she presented her research findings at the 12th Annual Bridge-to-PhD Program in STEM Symposium. Diahmin’s future plans include advocating for better public health, improving political, social, and economic policies to support marginalized communities.