Student Awards and Honors

Undergraduate and graduate students achieving academic excellence in the MIT Department of Physics are recognized annually.

The following prizes and awards are administered by the department.

Note: We are not accepting any nominations for these awards at this time. Please check back here for nominating information in the future.

 

Undergraduate Awards

The Barrett Prize

The award, established by students, friends, relatives and colleagues of the late Professor Alan Barrett, honors his outstanding influence in the education of physicists and his fundamental contributions to the science and technology of astrophysics. A $1000 prize is awarded annually to a senior undergraduate or graduate in Astrophysics.

2026 Barrett Prize winner – Vinh Tran SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Philip Harris)

Past Barrett Prize winners

  • 2025 – Donald (DJ) Liveoak
  • 2024 – April Cheng
  • 2023 – Hillary Andales
  • 2022 – John (Jack) Dinsmore
  • 2021 – Silvia Biscoveanu
  • 2020 – Alexandra Hanselman
  • 2019 – Maude Gull
  • 2018 – Kishore Patra
  • 2017 – Shi-Fan (Stephen) Chen
  • 2016 – Anirudh Prabhu
  • 2015 – Weishuang (Linda) Xu
  • 2014 – Katelin Schutz
  • 2013 – Edward Mazenc
  • 2012 – Renyu Hu
  • 2011 – Ashley Perko
  • 2010 – William Throwe
  • 2009 – Josiah Schwab
  • 2008 – J. Colin Hill
  • 2007 – Tucker A. Jones
  • 2006 – Emily M. Levesque
  • 2005 – Svetlin V. Tassev
  • 2004 – Laura A. Lopez
  • 2003 – Stefan W. Ballmer
  • 2002 – Joshua M. Lapan
  • 2001 – C. Adam Reynolds
  • 2000 – Jessica Lackey
  • 1999 – Eric B. Ford
  • 1998 – Edmund Mun Choong Kong
  • 1997 – James Kiger
  • 1996 – Matias Zaldarriaga
  • 1995 – Eugene Chiang
  • 1994 – Craig Weigert
  • 1993 – Uros Seljak
  • 1992 – Samuel Conner

Burchard Scholars

The Burchard Scholars Program brings together distinguished members of the faculty and promising sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated excellence in some aspect of the humanities, arts, and social sciences, as well as in science and engineering. The Program is sponsored by the Dean’s Office, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

2026 Burchard Scholars winners:

  • Julia Li, Physics ’27

  • Vlad Stefan Oros, Physics ’27

Previous Burchard Scholars awardees:
  • 2025
    • Abhay Bestrapalli, junior, physics/computer science and engineering
    • Yongao Hu, junior, physics/mathematics
    • Layna Oberg, sophomore, physics
    • Jiwoo Park, junior, physics/mathematics
    • Kartik Pingle, junior, computer science and engineering/physics
    • Braedon Rudolph, junior, economics/physics
  • 2024
    • Saul Balcarcel-Salazar, junior, physics
    • Felicia Xiao, junior, physics
  • 2022-2023
    • Antti Eero Asikainen SB ’25
    • Kylee Carden SB ’22
    • Keaten Ciarno SB ’22
    • Iana Ferguson SB ’24
    • Tenzin Jampa SB ’23
    • Catherine Ji SB ’22
    • Benjamin Lou SB ’25
    • Joy Ma SB ’24
    • Ananda Santos Figueiredo SB ’25
    • Felicia Xiao SB ’25
    • Clara Xu SB ’23
  • 2021
    • Hillary Diane Andales, sophomore in physics
    • Karna Morey, junior in physics
    • Jeffery Yu, junior in mathematics and in physics
  • 2020
    • Keiran Lewellen, sophomore in physics
    • Sarah Weidman, junior in earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, and in physics
  • 2019
    • Rionna Flynn, sophomore in physics
    • Anjali Nambrath, sophomore in physics with a minor in French
  • 2017
    • Jaclyn Baughman, sophomore in physics
    • Benjamin Harpt, junior in physics
    • Ian MacFarlane, junior in physics

The Morse/Orloff Research Award

Awarded to a senior of high academic standing in physics who plans to pursue graduate study in physics. Given in memory of Philip Morse, MIT Professor of Physics, one of the renowned physicists of the 20th century, whose contributions spanned from basic physics to engineering, and in memory of Joel Matthew Orloff, a physics major. The fund currently provides a prize of $1,000.

Note: Prior to 2020, the award was known as the Philip Morse Memorial Award.

2026 Morse/Orloff Research Award winner – Vinh Tran SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Philip Harris)

Past Morse/Orloff Research Award winners

  • 2025 – Samuel (Sam) Christian
  • 2024 – Owen Dugan
  • 2023 – Sanjay Raman
  • 2022 – Chang-Han Chen and Serhii Kryhin
  • 2021 – Haoyang Gao
  • 2020 – Sophie E. Fisher and Megan C. Kralj
  • 2019 – Lev Kendrick and Patrick Ledwith
  • 2018 – Cyuan-Han Chang
  • 2017 – Aashish Tripathee
  • 2016 – Francisco Leal Machado
  • 2015 – Jordan Cotler
  • 2014 – Hrant Gharibyan
  • 2013 – Nathan Benjamin and Wojciech Musial
  • 2012 – Longzhi Tan
  • 2011 – David Ramirez and Jaime Varela
  • 2010 – Achilleas Porfyriadis
  • 2009 – Barry Bradlyn
  • 2008 – Thaned Pruttivarasin
  • 2007 – Tongyan Lin
  • 2006 – Philip J. Richerme
  • 2005 – Alan M. Dunn
  • 2004 – Onsi Fakhouri
  • 2003 – Philip C. Schuster
  • 2002 – n/a
  • 2001 – Aram W. Harrow

The Joel Matthew Orloff Award

The Joel Matthew Orloff Awards were established by Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Orloff in memory of their son Joel, a physics major. One thousand dollars is awarded to each of several physics majors in the following three categories:

  • Scholarship: Given to the student with the highest GPA in physics courses and, if a tie, the highest overall GPA.
  • Research: Given to the student with the most outstanding senior thesis.
  • Service: Given to the student with the most outstanding service to the department, Institute, or community.

2026 Joel Matthew Orloff Award winners:

  • Research – Katherine Panebianco SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Philip Harris)

  • Scholarship – Munich Tripattaranan SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Isaac Chuang)

  • Service – Felicia Xiao SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Tracy Slatyer)

Previous Orloff Award winners
  • 2025
    • Scholarship – Kayla O’Donnell
    • Service – Karen Lei
  • 2024
    • Scholarship – Clara Xu
    • Service – Hope Fu
  • 2023
    • Research – Luis Bariuan
    • Scholarship – Xiangkai Sun
    • Service – Hillary Andales and Pamela Stark
  • 2022
    • Research – Quinn Brodsky
    • Scholarship – Kiara Carloni
    • Service – Quinn Brodsky, Josh Liu, Karna Morey, Michal Szurek
  • 2021
    • Research – Qiantan Hong
    • Scholarship – Srijon Mukherjee
    • Service – Grecia Castelazo, Rian Flynn, Sujay S. Kazi, and Rachel C. Zhang
  • 2020
    • Research – Megan A. Yamoah
    • Scholarship – Vincent S. Liu
    • Service – Isabelle Y. Phinney and Megan A. Yamoah
  • 2019
    • Research – Madelyn Cain
    • Scholarship – Arindam Bhattacharya
    • Service – Radha Mastandrea
  • 2018
    • Research – Haoyu Guo
    • Scholarship – Chitraang Murdia
    • Service – Caitlin Fischer and Amir Karamlou
  • 2017
    • Research – Kevin Zhou
    • Scholarship – Shi-Fan Chen
    • Service – Caitlin Fischer, Zachary Hall, Andrea Herman, Jeannette Maisano-Brown, and Grace Zhang
  • 2016
    • Research – Nicholas Rivera
    • Scholarship – Hengyun (Harry) Zhou
    • Service – Nicholas Rivera, Emmett Krupczak, and Emilio Pace
  • 2015
    • Research – Trond Andersen
    • Scholarship – Alexander Siegenfeld
    • Service – QinQin Yu and Thomas J. Wilason
  • 2014
    • Research – Yichao Yu
    • Scholarship – Aviv Cukierman
    • Service – Ashley Villar and Katelin Schutz
  • 2013
    • Research – Nityan Nair
    • Scholarship – Sabrina Pasterski
    • Service – Kevin Singh, Katelin Schutz, and Christie Chiu
  • 2012
    • Research – Jonathan Ng
    • Scholarship – John Ruszczynski
    • Service – Yan Zhu
  • 2011
    • Research – Ken Van Tilburg
    • Scholarship – Raghu Mahajan
    • Service – Fangfei Shen, Joan C. Smith, Nathaniel Thomas, and Yan Zhu
  • 2010
    • Research – John Sebastian Pineda
    • Scholarship – William Throwe
    • Service – Sara Campbell and Sukrit Ranjan
  • 2009
    • Research – Vladimir Rosenhaus
    • Scholarship – Hyun Kim
    • Service – Anjali Tripathi and Nantania Antler
  • 2008
    • Research – Yeming Shi
    • Scholarship – Ziliang Lin
    • Service – J. Colin Hill
  • 2007
    • Research – Anna K. Labno
    • Scholarship – Widagdo Setiawan
    • Service – Zachary D. Wissner-Gross
  • 2006
    • Research – Emily M. Levesque
    • Scholarship – Patrick S. Varilly
    • Service – Anat Burger and Alejandro Rodriguez
  • 2005
    • Research – Jeffrey C. Falkenbach
    • Scholarship – Seth E. Dorfman
    • Service – Susanna M. Thon
  • 2004
    • Research – Yuk Yan Lam
    • Scholarship – Michael J. Mortonson
    • Service – Daniel Garcia and Laura A. Lopez
  • 2003
    • Research – Jeffrey B. Brock
    • Scholarship – David B. Starr
    • Service – Terri M. Yu
  • 2002
    • Research – Stephan B. Gromell
    • Scholarship – Abhinav Kumar
    • Service – Teresa A. Fazio
  • 2001
    • Research – Till Rosenband
    • Scholarship – John B. Hough
    • Service – Bilge Demirkoz
  • 2000
    • Research – Mihai Ibanescu and Daniel Dwyer
    • Scholarship – Dawen Choy and Humberto Valdes
    • Service – Rafael Dinner and Gabriel Rockefeller
  • 1999
    • Research – Eric B. Ford
    • Scholarship – Jeffrey C. Gore
    • Service – Raeghan M. Byrne and Tanya Zelevinsky
  • 1998
    • Research – Anuranjita Tewary
    • Scholarship – Jeffrey Bowers
    • Service – n/a
  • 1997
    • Research – Anna Lopatnikova
    • Scholarship – Iosif L.R. Bena
    • Service – Evan Fortunato and Hoko Kusumoto
  • 1996
    • Research – Marin Soljačić and Yun Song
    • Scholarship – Tairan Wang and Eugene Shuster
    • Service – Christopher Drew
  • 1995
    • Research – Fernando Broner and Eugene Chang
    • Scholarship – Steven Johnson and Eliot Quataert
    • Service – Teresa Lau
  • 1994 – Jennifer Mills and Dexter Mootoo
  • 1993 – Eugene Chiang
  • 1992 – Kevin Fahey
  • 1991 – Bryan Smith
  • 1990 – Michael McDermott and Joel Phillips
  • 1989 – Deborah Kuchnir
  • 1988 – Jason Crain
  • 1987 – Christopher Carone
  • 1986 – Mark Wang
  • 1985 – Thomas Junk
  • 1984 – Dinh Le
  • 1983 – Raymond Goldstein
  • 1982 – Mark Templer

The Order of the Lepton Award

Awarded to a graduating senior who best exemplifies the spirit and characteristics of MIT’s Physics students. Established with gifts from alumni and friends of the Department, the Order of the Lepton embodies the community and collaboration that is one of the hallmarks of the MIT Physics Department. The fund provides a prize of $1,000.

2026 Order of the Lepton Award winner – Yongao Hu SB ’26 (Academic Advisor: Richard Milner)

Past Order of the Lepton Award winners
  • 2025 – Antti Eero Asikainen
  • 2024 – Chirag Falor
  • 2023 – Hillary Andales
  • 2022 – Karna Morey
  • 2021 – Anjali Nambrath
  • 2020 – Bahrudin Trbalic
  • 2019 – Maude Gull
  • 2018 – Caitlin Fischer
  • 2017 – Grace Zhang
  • 2016 – Nicholas Rivera
  • 2015 – Michael Flynn
  • 2014 – Christopher Sarabalis
  • 2013 – Rudy Tanin

Election to Sigma Pi Sigma is based upon a student’s strong academic record. With over 90,000 members throughout its history, its purpose is to be of service to the broader physics community. It encourages scholarship in physics by admitting a student to the fellowship of others with similar interests and accomplishments.

The 2026 Sigma Pi Sigma Inductees

  • Erez Abrams
  • Emily Albornoz
  • Kaylee Barrera
  • Rebecca Chang
  • Stanley Chen
  • Erin Cusson
  • Ne Dassanayake
  • Evan Erickson
  • Matson Garza
  • Aarush Gupta 
  • Yongao Hu
  • Haedam Im
  • Teo Lara
  • David Lee
  • Oluyinka Lindblad
  • Lawerence Long
  • Max Miller
  • Max Misterka
  • Emily Neill
  • Temujin Orkhon
  • Sam Packman
  • Katherine Panebianco
  • Jiwoo Park
  • Rishab Parthasarathy
  • Kartik Pingle
  • Michael Popik
  • Diego Rivera
  • Alexander Sherstnev
  • Minki Shim
  • Caio Silva
  • Gordon Su
  • Lily Sun
  • Wendy Sun
  • Kyle Tignor
  • Munich Tripattaranan
  • Felicia Xiao
  • Lana Xu

Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest honor society in the United States of America. Less than 10% of the graduating class is invited, and selection is based upon academic record, dedication to the liberal arts and language skills.

The 2026 Phi Beta Kappa Inductees

  • Kaylee Barrera
  • Henry Bezos
  • Kevin Cheng
  • Evan Erickson
  • Maston Garza
  • Alex Gu
  • Yongao Hu
  • Luke Kelly
  • Teo Lara
  • Skipper Lynch
  • Oluyinka Lindblad
  • Max Miller
  • Emily Neill
  • Sam Packman
  • Jiwoo Park
  • Diego Rivera
  • Caio Silva
  • Gordon Su
  • Wendy Sun
  • Kyle Tignor
  • Munich Tripattaranan
  • Lana Xu

The Malcolm Cotton Brown Award

Awarded to a senior of high academic standing in physics who plans to pursue graduate study in experimental physics. Given in memory of Lt. Malcolm Cotton Brown, Royal Air Force. The fund currently provides a prize of $1,000.

2023 Malcolm Cotton Brown Award winner – Aidan Chambers SB ’23 (Academic Advisor: Jeff Gore; Research Supervisor: Philip Harris)
Past Malcolm Cotton Brown Award winners
  • 2023 – Aidan Chambers
  • 2022 – Eve Schoen
  • 2021 – Thao H. Dinh and Anjali Nambrath
  • 2020 – Eleanor L. Graham
  • 2019 – Anthony Badea
  • 2018 – Talia Weiss
  • 2017 – Grace Zhang
  • 2016 – Thanawuth (Atom) Thanathibodee
  • 2015 – Tamara Dordevic
  • 2014 – Ioana Zelko
  • 2013 – Qian Lin
  • 2012 – Emily Davis and Vinay Ramasesh
  • 2011 – Emma Tolley
  • 2010 – Albert Lee
  • 2009 – Robert Moffat
  • 2008 – Ruth Shewmon
  • 2007 – Ming Yi
  • 2006 – Huanqian Loh
  • 2005 – David Lopez Mateos
  • 2004 – Zilong Chen
  • 2003 – Alexander D. Wissner-Gross
  • 2002 – Joshua M. Thompson
  • 2001 – Margaret W. Pan
  • Ezekiel Daye (SB ’25, Physics & Electrical Engineering. Academic advisors: Liang Fu, Luqiao Liu) was inducted into the electrical and computer engineering honor society, Eta Kappa Nu, in recognition of academic excellence and leadership potential within the EECS department; received the Everett Longstreth Jazz Award for “distinguished service and musical contributions to the MIT Festival Jazz Ensemble”; and received the Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Award for “outstanding contributions to the arts at MIT, recognizing leadership and long-term impact within the artistic community, particularly through music and performance.”
  • Taisiia Karasova (SB ’26. Academic advisor: Julien Tailleur) received a Rai Weiss Undergraduate Travel Award for her project: “Statistical Modeling of Gravitational Wave Sources Using Cosmological simulations: Cross-Correlations with Galaxy Catalogs for Cosmological Inference.” The award provides up to $2,000 for 2025 summer travel.
  • Alice Trang Le (SB ’25. Academic advisor: Soonwon Choi) was awarded First Prize in the Karmel Writing Prize Competition, Robert A. Boit Essay category; and Second Prize in the Karmel Writing Prize Competition, Rebecca Blevins Faery Autobiographical Essay category.
  • Benjamin Lou (SB ’25. Academic/Research advisors: Janet Conrad, Nergis Mavalvala) received the 2025 Hertz Fellowship for support of “bold, high-impact scientific research”; and was awarded a 2025 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which will provide three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000.
  • Isabella Vesely (SB ’27. Academic advisor: Yen-Jie Lee) received the 2025 Jeffrey L. Pressman Award, for research or internship in U.S. government, politics, or law.
  • Felicia Xiao (SB ’26. Academic advisor: Tracy Slatyer) received a Rai Weiss Undergraduate Travel Award for her project: “Investigating zero bias cosmic voids as standard cosmological rulers.” The award provides up to $2,000 for 2025 summer travel.

Graduate Awards

The Buechner Student Teaching Prize

Awarded to a graduate student for outstanding contributions to the educational program of the Department during the past academic year. The $1,000 prize was established in 1987 by the late Mrs. Christina Buechner in memory of her husband Prof. William Buechner, who served as Physics department head from 1962-67.

2026 Buechner Student Teaching Prize winners:

  • Bahar Shakerifakher (Biophysics – Thesis Supervisor: Ila Fiete and Mehran Kardar)
  • Rachel Steinhorst (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics – Thesis Supervisor: Krishna Rajagopal)
  • Laurel White (Experimental Astrophysics – Thesis Supervisor: Michael McDonald)
Previous Buechner Student Teaching Prize Winners
  • 2021 – Emily Crabb (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics)
  • 2020 – Mehdi Soleimanifar (Quantum Information Science)
  • 2019 – Hamed PakatchiShotorbannejad (Hard Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2018 – Jing Wang (Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2017 – TBA
  • 2016 – Ivana Dimitrova (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2015 – Daniel Kolodrubetz (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2014 – Michelle Ruth Tomasik (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics)
  • 2013 – Michael Crossley (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2012 – n/a
  • 2011 – Chester Chu (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics)
  • 2010 – Arghavan Safavi-Naini (Atomic Physics)
  • 2009 – Adrian Liu (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 2008 – Paul Nerenberg (Biophysics)
  • 2007 – Richard Ott (Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2006 – Oliver Dial (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 2005 – n/a
  • 2004 – Sebastian Franco (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2003 – Brice C. Smith (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 2002 – Jeffrey Bowers (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics) and James McBride (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 2001 – Stephen Korbly (Plasma Physics)
  • 2000 – Michael Hinczewski (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics), Nicholas Morgan (Theoretical Astrophysics), and David Pooley (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 1999 – Kristin Burgess (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics) and Rebecca Christianson (Experimental Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 1998 – Jamie Portsmouth (Theoretical Astrophysics) and Walter Rantner (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics)
  • 1997 – Andrew Berger (Atomic Physics)
  • 1996 – Paul Westbrook (Atomic Physics)
  • 1995 – Peter Yesley (Atomic Physics)
  • 1994 – Neer Asherie (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 1993 – Sheperd Doeleman (Experimental Astrophysics
  • 1992 – Howard Sklar (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 1991 – Michael Haggerty (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics)
  • 1990 – Roberta Brawer
  • 1989 – Juliana Hsu (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 1988 – James F. Abbott (Plasma Physics) and Philipp Podsiadlowski (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 1987 – Wayne Lewis (Experimental Astrophysics) and Derin Sherman (Biophysics)

The Martin Deutsch Student Award for Excellence in Experimental Physics

Awarded to a graduate student in the mid-course of research for study in any area of physics, with preference given to experimental physics. The award was created in honor of Professor Martin Deutsch’s outstanding contributions to Nuclear Physics as an educator and researcher and currently carries a prize of $1,000.

2026 Martin Deutsch Student Award Winners: 

  • Ruixiao Yao (Atomic Physics – Thesis Supervisor: Martin Zwierlein)
  • Alexandra Klipfel (Nuclear and Particle Experiment – Thesis Supervisors: Peter Fisher and David Kaiser)
Previous Martin Deutsch Student Award winners
  • 2023-2024 – Hudson Loughlin (Atomic Physics)
  • 2022 – Yukun Lu (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2021 – Thomas Hartke (Experimental Atomic Physics) and Christopher Whittle (Experimental Astrophysics)
  • 2020 – Carina Belvin (Experimental Condensed Matter Physics)
  • 2019 – Maggie Tse (Experimental Astrophysics) and Haocun Yu (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2018 – no prize awarded
  • 2017 – no prize awarded
  • 2016 – Alexander Pung Ji (Experimental Astrophysics) and Gabriel Collin (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 2015 – Benjamin Jones (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 2014 – Doga Can Gulhan (Nuclear and Particle Experiment) and Colin Kennedy (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2013 – Wenlen Chen (Experimental Atomic Physics) and Lawrence Cheuk (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2012 – Sheila Dwyer (Experimental Astrophysics)
  • 2011 – Ariel Sommer (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2010 – Monika Schleier-Smith (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2009 – Georgia Karagiorgi (Nuclear and Particle Experiment) and Andre Schirotzek (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2008 – Asher Kaboth (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 2007 – Thomas Corbitt (Experimental Astrophysics)
  • 2006 – Gretchen K. Campbell (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2005 – Juan M. Pedraza (Experimental Biophysics) and Yong-Il Shin (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2004 – Adam S. Bolton (Experimental Astrophysics) and Martin Zwierlein (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2003 – Aaron E. Leanhardt (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 2002 – Lingyan Zhu (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 2001 – Ivan Furic (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 2000 – Ananth Chikkatur (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 1999 – Shin Inouye (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 1998 – no prize awarded
  • 1997 – David Goldhaber-Gordon (Condensed Matter Experiment) and Young Lee (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 1996 – no prize awarded
  • 1995 – no prize awarded
  • 1994 – Kendall Davis (Experimental Atomic Physics)
  • 1993 – no prize awarded
  • 1992 – Kevin Lee (Nuclear and Particle Experiment)
  • 1991 – Alec Sandy (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 1990 – no prize awarded
  • 1989 – David Keith (Experimental Atomic Physics)

The Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award

Awarded to a graduate student in theoretical physics, with preference given to students from Los Alamos, NM, and New Orleans, LA. The award currently carries a prize of $1,000. The award was established by Mrs. Lucille Lockett Stone in memory of her husband, Dr. Andrew M. Lockett, who received his Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1954.

2026 Andrew Lockett III Memorial Fund Award Winners:

  • Sal Pace (Condensed Matter Theory – Thesis supervisor: Xiao-Gang Wen)
  • Marianne Moore (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics – Thesis supervisor: Tracy Slatyer)
Previous Andrew M. Lockett III Memorial Fund Award winners
  • 2023-2024 – Yugo Onishi (Condensed Matter Theory – Thesis supervisor: Liang Fu)
  • 2022 – Nicholas Rivera (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2021 – Gurtej Kanwar (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2020 – Jasmine Brewer (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2019 – Hongwan Liu (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2018 – Nikhil Raghuram (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2017 – TBA
  • 2016 – Nicholas Rodd (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2015 – Ian Moult (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2014 – Yonatan Kahn (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2013 – Maksym Serbyn (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2012 – Daniel Sung-Joon Park (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2011 – Xie Chen (Atomic Theory)
  • 2010 – Nabil Iqbal (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2009 – Wing-Ho Ko (Condensed Matter Theory) & Sergey Syritsyn (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2008 – Michael Kiermaier (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2007 – no prize awarded
  • 2006 – Jessie Shelton (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2005 – David Vegh (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2004 – Michael A. Levin (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2003 – Andrew M. Childs (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2002 – Sebastian Franco (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2001 – Walter Rantner (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2000 – Bo Feng (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 1999 – Leonardo Rastelli (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 1998 – no prize awarded
  • 1997 – Matthew Hastings (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 1996 – Arthur Lee
  • 1995 – Ken Olum (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 1994 – no prize awarded
  • 1993 – no prize awarded
  • 1992 – Catherine Trotter Wilson (Astrophysics)
  • 1991 – no prize awarded
  • 1990 – Tomas Arias (Condensed Matter Theory) and Jeffrey Grandy (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 1989 – no prize awarded
  • 1988 – Barrett Rogers (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 1987 – Mark Needels (Condensed Matter Theory)

The Sergio Vazquez Prize

Established in memory of Sergio Vazquez, a graduate student in the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics — a Leinweber Institute (CTP-LI), $1,000 to be awarded annually to a graduate student with preference for a student from an underrepresented sector of the population who had to overcome racial, physical or financial barriers.

The 2026 Sergio Vazquez Prize Winner – Abd El Aziz Hussein (Theoretical Astrophysics – Thesis supervisor: Lina Necib)

Previous Sergio Vazquez Prize Winners
  • 2022 – Michael Calzadilla (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 2021 – Cedric Wilson (Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics)
  • 2020 – Patrick Fitzpatrick (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2019 – Reynier Cruz Torres (Experimental Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2018 – Sergio Cantu (Atomic Theory)
  • 2017 – TBA
  • 2016 – Lina Necib (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2015 – Marjon Moulai (Experimental Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2014 – Roberto Sanchis-Ojeda (Theoretical Astrophysics)
  • 2013 – Wei Sun (Experimental Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2012 – Joshua Bendavid (Experimental Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2011 – Francesco D’Eramo (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics) and Mohammad Faghfoor Maghrebi (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2010 – Christopher Jones (Experimental Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2009 – no prize awarded
  • 2008 – Michael Ghebrebrhan (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 2007 – no prize awarded
  • 2006 – no prize awarded
  • 2005 – Antonello Scardicchio (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2004 – no prize awarded
  • 2003 – Qudsia Jabeen Ejaz (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2002 – Kimani Stancil (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 2001 – Grum Teklemariam (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics)
  • 2000 – Darren Segall (Condensed Matter Theory)
  • 1999 – Raissa D’Souza
  • 1998 – no prize awarded
  • 1997 – no prize awarded
  • 1996 – Gillian Reynolds (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • 1995 – no prize awarded
  • 1994 – no prize awarded
  • 1993 – no prize awarded
  • 1992 – Hector Jimenez-Gonzalez (Condensed Matter Experiment)
  • Zhaoyi Li (Center for Ultracold Atoms. Thesis supervisor: Isaac Chuang) received the Best Student Paper Prize at the 2025 Theory of Quantum Computation, Communication, and Cryptography conference for her work on quantum purity amplification.
  • Hudson Loughlin (Atomic Physics. Thesis supervisors: Nergis Mavalvala, Matthew Evans) received an Enrico Fermi Fellowship from the John Templeton Foundation and the Center for SpaceTime and the Quantum; and was awarded a Draper Scholars Fellowship.
  • Hyo Sun Park (Atomic Physics. Thesis supervisor: Wolfgang Ketterle) received the 2025 Ragnar & Margaret Naess Award from the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section in recognition of “exceptional talent and commitment to performance at MIT.”
  • Sahaj Patel (Condensed Matter Experiment. Thesis supervisor: Riccardo Comin) received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which will provide three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000.
  • Stella Schindler (Center for Theoretical Physics. Thesis supervisor: Iain Stewart) received the 2025 J.J. and Noriko Sakurai Dissertation Award in Theoretical Particle Physics from the American Physical Society.

The Henry Kendall Teaching Award

Established in 2010 and named after Henry Kendall, 1990 Nobel Laureate and long-time MIT Physics faculty member, the Kendall Awards recognize graduate student teaching assistants whose performance has been significantly above what is expected of a TA. Two to four awards, each with an accompanying prize of $750, are given annually.

The Fall 2016 Henry Kendall Teaching Award Winners:

  • Anirudh Chiti (Theoretical Astrophysics – Thesis supervisor: Anna Frebel) “for going beyond the call of duty to take care of students and run things behind the scenes in 8.01”.
  • Byron Drury (Condensed Matter Theory- Thesis supervisor: Eric Heller and Edward Farhi) “for his work on 8.044, in which he was an amazingly successful TA and always helpful to the students”.
  • Hongwan Liu (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics – Thesis supervisor: Tracy Slatyer) “for his performance in 8.033, in which he played a significant role in helping the students both to learn and to appreciate the beauty of the material”.
  • Aditya Pathak (Theoretical Nuclear & Particle Physics – Thesis supervisor: Iain Stewart) “for his fantastic growth as a TA in 8.13”.
Past Henry Kendall Teaching Award Winners
  • Fall 2016
    • Anirudh Chiti – 8.01
    • Byron Drury – 8.044
    • Hongwan Liu – 8.033
    • Aditya Pathak – 8.13
  • Fall 2015
    • Benjamin Elder – 8.251
    • Nikhil Raghuram – 8.01 and 8.02
  • Fall 2014
    • Richard Alexander Barbieri – 8.03
    • Adam Bookatz – 8.05
    • Alexander Pung Ji – 8.282 and 8.284
    • Janos Perczel – 8.02
    • Fangfei Shen – 8.226
  • Fall 2013
    • Gregory Dooley – 8.282 and 8.284
    • Paolo Glorioso – 8.04
    • Ilkem Ozge Ozel – 8.022
    • Evangelos Sfakianakis – 8.286
  • Fall 2012
    • Shawn Henderson – 8.021
    • Timothy Hsieh – 8.511
    • Jeremy Lopez – 8.21
    • Chong Wang – 8.321
  • Spring 2012
    • Michael Crossley – 8.044
    • Cedric Lin – 8.02
    • Kevin Sung – 8.011
  • Fall 2011
    • Tatiana Artemova – 8.591
    • Adrian Liu – 8.942
    • David Mross – 8.231
    • Anjan Soumyanarayanan – 8.01
    • Philip Zukin – 8.02
  • Spring 2011
    • Byron Drury – 8.311
    • Jinrong Lin – 8.022
    • Leo Stein – 8.901
  • Fall 2010
    • Francesco D’Eramo – 8.09
    • Nan Gu – 8.012
    • Duncan Ralph – 8.13
    • Philip Zukin – 8.21
  • Spring 2010
    • David Mross – 8.20
    • Obioma Ohia – 8.02
    • Richard Ott – 8.14
  • Fall 2009
    • Burak Alver – 8.13
    • Nabil Iqbal – 8.02
    • Daniel Sung-Joon Park – 8.321
    • Robyn Sanderson – 8.01

Graduate Student Prizes for Service to the Physics Department

These prizes were established in 2020-2021, a tumultuous year which saw the closing of the campus for much of the year and where social justice issues had great importance for students, staff and faculty. Department Head Peter Fisher created the Graduate Student Prize for Service to the Physics Department in recognition of a great outpouring of service by the graduate student body to address Departmental diversity, equity and inclusion issues.

The 2021 Graduate Student Prizes for Service to the Physics Department winners:

  • Dominika Durovcikova (Astrophysics – Thesis supervisor: Vivishek Sudhir)
  • Rahul Jayaraman (Astrophysics – Thesis supervisor: George Ricker)
  • Mason Ng (Astrophysics – Thesis supervisor: Deepto Chakrabarty)
  • Olumakinde Ogunnaike (Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics – Thesis supervisor: Leonid Levitov)
  • Wenzer Qin (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics – Thesis supervisor: Tracy Slatyer)
  • Stella Schindler (Theoretical Nuclear and Particle Physics – Thesis supervisor: Iain Stewart)
  • Cedric Wilson (Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics – Thesis supervisor: Martin Zwierlein