Astronomy Department Awards
Fred T. Goetting, Jr. Memorial Endowed Presidential Fellowship
The Goetting recognizes a student for outstanding service to the Department of Astronomy, usually for excellence in teaching.
Goetting Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Maria Straight |
| 2024-25 | Oscar Chavez Ortiz |
| 2023-24 | Melanie Rowland |
| 2022-23 | Catherine Manea |
| 2021-22 | Quang Tran |
| 2020-21 | Danny Krolikowski |
| 2019-20 | Andreia Carrillo |
| 2018-19 | Sinclaire Manning |
| 2017-18 | Raquel Martinez |
| 2016-17 | Yao-Lun Yang |
| 2013-14 | Erik Brugamyer |
| 2012-13 | Rodolfo Santana |
| 2011-12 | Chalence Safranek-Shrader and JJ Hermes |
| 2010-11 | Irina Marinova and Jeremy Murphy |
| 2009-10 | Guillermo Blanc |
| 2008-09 | Joshua Adams |
| 2007-08 | Sarah Salviander and Shadrian Strong |
| 2006-07 | Amy Forestell |
| 2005-06 | Claudia Knez |
| 2004-05 | Julia Silge and Joe Tufts |
| 2003-04 | Marsha Wolf and Erin McMahon |
| 2002-03 | Nairn Baliber and Joe Tufts |
| 2001-02 | Pamela Gay |
| 2000-01 | Yancy Shirley |
| 1999-00 | Pamela Gay |
| 1998-99 | Marcel Bergman |
David Alan Benfield Memorial Fellowship in Astronomy
Recognizes outstanding research by a senior graduate student.
Benfield Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Junehyoung Jeon |
| 2024-25 | Kyle Franson |
| 2023-24 | Ronan Kerr |
| 2022-23 | Tyler Nelson |
| 2021-22 | Jessica Luna and Rebecca Larson |
| 2020-21 | Duo Xu |
| 2019-20 | Briana Indahl |
| 2018-19 | Ben Kidder |
| 2017-18 | Tsz Ho "Benny" Tsang |
| 2016-17 | Wenbin Lu |
| 2015-16 | Marshall Johnson |
| 2014-15 | Michael-Gully Santiago |
| 2013-14 | JJ Hermes |
| 2012-13 | Manos Chatzopoulos |
| 2011-12 | Jeremy Murphy |
| 2010-11 | Guillermo Blanc |
| 2009-10 | Donghui Jeong |
| 2008-09 | David Fisher and Jarrett Johnson |
| 2007-08 | Ivan Ramirez |
| 2006-07 | Lucas Cieza |
| 2005-06 | Nick Sterling |
| 2004-05 | Mukremin Kilic |
| 2003-04 | Jeong-Eun Lee |
| 2002-03 | Anjum Mukadam and David Yong |
| 2000-01 | Yancy Shirley |
| 1999-00 | Inese Ivans |
Frank N. Edmonds, Jr. Memorial Fellowship in Astronomy
Given to a second- or third-year student who shows strong promise in research.
Edmonds Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Maya Debski and Zorayda Martinez |
| 2024-25 | Hollis Akins |
| 2023-24 | Marvin Morgan |
| 2022-23 | Olivia Cooper |
| 2021-22 | Kyle Franson |
| 2020-21 | Ronan Kerr |
| 2019-20 | Maddie Lucey |
| 2018-19 | Taha Dawoodbhoy |
| 2017-18 | Duo Xu |
| 2016-17 | Sam Factor |
| 2015-16 | Raquel Martinez and Wenbin Lu |
| 2014-15 | Yi-Kuan Chiang |
| 2013-14 | Marshall Johnson |
| 2012-13 | Mimi Song |
| 2011-12 | Paul Robertson |
| 2010-11 | Manos Chatzopoulos |
| 2009-10 | Jeremy Murphy |
| 2008-09 | Donghui Jeong and Irina Marinova |
| 2007-08 | Jarrett Johnson |
| 2006-07 | Ivan Ramirez |
| 2005-06 | Marcelo Alvarez |
| 2004-05 | Lucas Cieza |
| 2003-04 | Nick Sterling |
| 2002-03 | Shizuka Akiyama |
| 2000-01 | Greg Doppman |
| 1999-00 | Inese Ivans |
| 1998-19 | Juntao Yuan |
Board of Visitors Graduate Student Second Year Research Defense Award
Given in recognition for an outstanding Second-Year defense of research to date.
Second Year Research Defense Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Owen Chase |
| 2024-25 | Lillian Jiang |
| 2023-24 | Laurel Weiss |
| 2022-23 | Olivia Cooper |
| 2021-22 | Kyle Franson |
| 2020-21 | Quang Tran |
| 2019-20 | Tyler Nelson |
| 2018-19 | Patrick Drew |
| 2017-18 | Sam Factor and Sydney Sherman |
| 2016-17 | Raquel Martinez and Ben Kidder |
| 2015-16 | Wenbin Lu |
| 2014-15 | Jeremy Ritter |
| 2012-13 | Yi-Kuan Chiang |
| 2011-12 | Hyunbae Park |
| 2010-11 | Taylor Chonis |
| 2009-10 | Manos Chatsopoulos, Chalence Safranek-Shrader, and Erik Brugamyer |
| 2007-08 | Guillermo Blanc and Sean Couch |
| 2006-07 | Donghui Jeong |
| 2005-06 | Mike Dunham, Jarrett Johnson, and David Fisher |
| 2004-05 | Ivan Ramirez |
| 2003-04 | Lucas Cieza |
| 2002-03 | David Smith |
| 2001-02 | Jeong-Eun Lee |
| 2000-01 | Jasmina Marsh |
Beatrice M. Tinsley Endowed Graduate Fellowship
Tinsley Award Winners
|
J. Craig Wheeler Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Astronomy
Wheeler Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Joohyun Lee |
| 2024-25 | Om Gupta |
Phillip And Karen Kelton Fellowship In Astronomy
Kelton Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | Malia Kao |
| 2023-24 | Kaelee Parker |
David L. Lambert Graduate Fellowship
Lambert Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Maya Debski |
| 2024-25 | Zoe Hackshaw |
| 2023-24 | Katie Teixeira |
| 2019-20 | Boyuan Liu and Jonathan Florez |
Paul Teten Execellence Fellowship
Teten Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | Marvin Morgan |
Board of Visitors Graduate Student Excellence Fellowship
BOV Fellowship Award Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Junehyoung Jeon |
University-Wide Awards
Outstanding Thesis/Report
These annual University awards recognize outstanding master’s theses/reports from across the University. Nominations accepted from Graduate Studies Committee Chairs.
Outstanding Thesis Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Boyuan Liu Effect of Lithium Hydride on the Cooling of Primordial Gas [https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.02756] |
| 2015 | Hyunbae Park The Kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect as a Probe of the Physics of Cosmic Reionization: The Effect of Self-Regulated Reionization [arXiv:1301.3607] |
| 2011 | Emmanouil Chatzopoulos Discovery, observations and theory of over luminous supernovae and peculiar transients [UT Libraries] |
| 2009 | Tim Weinzirl Outstanding Masters Thesis-Math, Science and Engineering: Constraints on the Origin of Bulges in Hierarchical Models [arXiv:0807.0040v3] |
| 2005 | Jarrett Johnson Towards the First Galaxies [arXiv:0709.0102] |
Outstanding Dissertation
To doctoral students whose dissertations merit recognition for excellence in scholarship, research and writing. One nomination accepted annually from each graduate program.
Outstanding Dissertation Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Ronan Kerr The SPYGLASS Program: Mapping the Extensive Star Formation History of the Solar Neighborhood |
| 2012 | Guillermo Blanc Studying Star Formation at Low and High Redshift with Integral Field Spectroscopy [UT Libraries] |
| 2011 | Ian Roederer From heavy atoms to the outer galaxy : characterizing the chemistry of the Milky Way halo [UT Libraries] |
| 2007 | Mukremin Kilic Cool White Dwarfs and the Age of the Galaxy [UT Libraries] |
University Continuing Fellowships
These are UT’s largest annual awards and are based on: major accomplishments since entering graduate school, a well-defined program of research, strong personal statement and letters of recommendation.
University Continuing Fellowship Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Jackie Champagne |
| 2019-20 | Sydney Sherman |
| 2018-19 | Sam Factor and Yao-Lun Yang |
| 2017-18 | Intae Jung and Yao-Lun Yang |
| 2016-17 | Wenbin Lu |
| 2015-16 | Yi-Kuan Chiang and Mimi Song |
| 2014-15 | Kevin Gullikson and Rodolfo Santana |
| 2013-14 | Paul Robertson and Manos Chatzopoulos |
| 2012-13 | Erik Brugamyer, Jeremy Murphy, and Chalence Safranek-Shrader |
| 2010-11 | Guillermo Blanc |
| 2009-10 | Guillermo Blanc and Irina Marinova |
| 2008 | Donghui Jeong, Jarrett Johnson, and Joshua Adams |
| 2007 | Michael Dunham, Ivan Ramirez, and Jarrett Johnson |
| 2006 | Elizabeth Fernandez and Robert Quimby |
| 2005 | Lucas Cieza-Gonzalez and Erin McMahon |
Harrington Fellowship
In support of gifted and ambitious young scholars at The University of Texas at Austin at a level that would equal or exceed the levels of prestigious longstanding programs at other institutions around the world.
Harrington Fellowship Winners
| Year | Recipient |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Boyuan Liu |
| 2014 | Raquel Martinez |
| 2010 | Joshua Adams |
| 2006 | Lucas Cieza-Gonzalez |