Charlie Fioriglio, a rising senior studying physics and chemistry in Arts & Sciences at WashU, has been named an Astronaut Scholar. The competitive fellowship is for exceptional undergraduate students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math.
Scholars receive up to $15,000 and mentorship from astronauts, program alumni and industry leaders. Astronaut Scholars also take part in the Michael Collins Family Professional Development Program and receive a fully funded trip to attend the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF)’s Innovators Symposium & Gala. This year, ASF awarded 74 scholarships to students from 51 universities.
Fioriglio studies electron-molecule interactions, research that requires a command of quantum mechanics and computational modeling. He received a Summer Undergraduate Research Award in 2024 and serves as an undergraduate research ambassador in the Office of Undergraduate Research.
“In grad school and beyond, I will continue to develop new methods in electronic structure theory, understanding chemistry at the most basic level. I am most excited to remain in a community of researchers. My interactions with other scientists have shaped my growth and allowed me to accomplish much more than I could have alone,” Fioriglio wrote in his application.
