Students in Notre Dame’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program design and pursue a plan of transformational learning and research to address one of the world’s 14 greatest challenges, as identified by the National Academy of Engineering.
Advancing Personalized Medicine
Making Solar Energy Economical
Enhancing Virtual Reality
Reverse-Engineering the Brain
Engineering Better Medicines
Restoring/Improving Urban Infrastructure
Securing Cyberspace
Providing Access to Clean Water
Providing Energy from Fusion
Preventing Nuclear Terror
Managing the Nitrogen Cycle
Developing Carbon Sequestration Methods
Engineering the Tools of Scientific Discovery
While focusing on one of these challenges, and with the support of a faculty mentor, students develop their own path in the program that involves 1) Research Experience; 2) Interdisciplinary Coursework; 3) Business/Entrepreneurship; 4) Multicultural/Global Experience; and 5) Social Consciousness – Community Engagement.
Meet the Spring 2026 graduating class of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.
Christian Gabriel El Azar
Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Project: Analysis of different drug samples using Near Infrared Spectroscopy technology and the analysis of novel testing methods for fentanyl presence
Ethan Farley
Major: Computer Science and Engineering
Project: Utilizing AI to Create a Personalized Education Platform
Catherine Healy
Major: Computer Science and Engineering
Project: Engineering Better Medicines with Bioinformatics
Kristen Kelly
Major: Electrical Engineering
Project: Light-focused Imaging Technologies for Lactation Care
Allen Jeremy Uy
Major: Computer Science and Engineering
Project: LLM ChatBot for Statistical Analysis
Swindar Zhou
Major: Computer Science and Engineering
Project: Algorithm-Powered Analyzer for Continuous Electrochemistry: A Toolkit for Real-Time Electrochemical Data Analysis
Contact
For more information, please contact one of the following faculty members:
- Christine Maziar, Director, Grand Challenges Scholars Program
- Maria Holland, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
- David Leighton, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Alexandros Taflanidis, Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences
- Shreya Kumar, Computer Science and Engineering
- Jonathan Chisum, Electrical Engineering