McCormick Student Receives New Scholarship to Spur Innovation

Northwestern Engineering student Jun Yamasaki has been named a 2023 Quad Fellow by Schmidt Futures.

The Quad Fellowship, an initiative of the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, is designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists. 

Along with Yamasaki, chemistry PhD student An Kitamura was also honored.

“Schmidt Futures has created a pathbreaking opportunity for STEM students committed to scholarly and diplomatic collaboration among our Indo-Pacific allies,” said Elizabeth Lewis Pardoe, director of the Office of Fellowships. “Our two fellows in the inaugural cohort highlight the strength and scope of Northwestern’s global impact as a hub of innovative, socially engaged, STEM scholarship.”

Yamasaki, a senior in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, is among the 100 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students who will study in the U.S. this year as part of the fellowship, which develops a network of science and technology experts committed to advancing innovation and collaboration in the private, public, and academic sectors, in their own nations and among the Quad countries.

Originally from Tokyo, Yamasaki is interested in theoretical and computational approaches for topics in turbulence modeling for aeronautical engineering applications. He has been researching computational fluid dynamics since freshman year, focusing on fluid mechanics-informed neural networks. He currently serves as president of Northwestern’s Japanese Student Association.

This year’s cohort of Quad Fellows includes students from 16 areas of study, and more than 70 percent are pursuing PhD programs.

Northwestern students interested in pursuing scholarship and fellowship opportunities can contact the Office of Fellowships.