Three University of Wisconsin–Madison students have received 2025 Goldwater Scholarships, considered the country’s preeminent undergraduate scholarship in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. More than 1,300 students were nominated this year by academic institutions; 441 were named Goldwater Scholars.
UW–Madison’s winners include sophomore Elliott Weix, a biochemistry and math major. Each Goldwater Scholar receives up to $7,500 per academic year for up to two years.
Each university in the country may nominate up to four undergraduates for the annual award. Historically, UW–Madison has done well, and this year is no exception, says Julie Stubbs, director of UW’s Office of Undergraduate Academic Awards.
“Congratulations to Alissa, Pramana and Elliott for this well-deserved national recognition,” Stubbs says. “These three scholars reflect the strength of undergraduate research on campus and the value the university places on developing the next generation of scientists, mathematicians and engineers through world-class instruction and mentoring.”
As a high school junior, Weix joined Scott Coyle’s biochemistry lab through the High School Research Internship program. Weix has continued at the lab as an undergraduate, earning co-authorship on a high-profile paper published in the journal Cell in 2024 as well as on two preprinted manuscripts. Recently, Weix’s research led to an original discovery, which he is developing into a model for studying the development of multicellular structures from a single-cell perspective. He plans to pursue a doctorate in computational biology or biochemistry and a career researching epigenetic inheritance mechanisms using mathematical tools and synthetic biology methods.