image: The 2026 Lehigh MSE recipients are (from left) Matthew O’Connell ’26, Thomas Theiner ’25, and Metri Zughbi ’25. Zughbi is currently a Lehigh PhD student researching advanced ceramic materials, while Theiner is pursuing his PhD at the California Institute of Technology and O’Connell is headed to the University of Florida for his graduate studies.
Credit: Courtesy of Lehigh University
Three students from Lehigh University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) have earned fellowships through the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) for 2026. This prestigious honor, one of the nation’s most competitive for emerging STEM researchers, provides three years of financial support to students pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees.
The 2026 Lehigh MSE recipients include Matthew O’Connell ’26, Thomas Theiner ’25, and Metri Zughbi ’25. Zughbi is currently a Lehigh PhD student researching advanced ceramic materials, while Theiner is pursuing his PhD at the California Institute of Technology and O’Connell is headed to the University of Florida for his graduate studies.
“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is one of the most prestigious and competitive awards for young scientists and engineers in the country,” says Ricardo Castro, professor and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “Having three Lehigh MSE students receive this recognition in the same year speaks directly to the extraordinary caliber, creativity, and research potential of our students.”
Professional Development and Scientific Communication
All three students completed a professional development course focused on scientific communication and proposal development, which prepared them for the demanding NSF GRFP application process.
The class is co-taught by associate professors Nicholas Strandwitz, Siddha Pimputkar, and Lesley Chow. Designed for undergraduate seniors and graduate students, the course helps students develop competitive fellowship proposals while strengthening scientific writing and presentation skills. The professors guide the students through every step of the often complex process of proposal writing.
“The biggest takeaway for me from the class was how to develop meaningful research questions,” says O’Connell. “It’s not easy to do because it has to be feasible and based on work that’s been done.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on something,” says Zughbi. “But the professors gave us constant feedback so that we all got to the point where we could present our ideas in a clear, professional way.”
Advancing Nanocrystalline Ceramics Research
Zughbi, now a first-year doctoral student advised by Castro, used the course to solidify his research objectives for identifying chemistries that could improve the toughness of nanocrystalline ceramics.
“These ceramics are known for exceptional hardness, but poor toughness,” Zughbi explains. “They’re made up of really small grains that form very strong bonds. But when they break, they break catastrophically. We want to force the grain boundaries to accommodate stress in a new and unique way.”
Such fortified ceramics could transform the design of engines operating in extreme environments.
As with O’Connell, the class also helped Zughbi refine a viable research question, a process that required extensive review of existing literature to identify unexplored opportunities. He also had to learn the precision and economy of words that competitive fellowship proposals demand.
“Every sentence has to have a purpose,” he says. “You have to validate and justify every portion of your experimental plan.”
Mastering Presentation and Career Skills
The course culminates in a 15- to 20-minute presentation. To prepare, students practice articulating their research and presenting it to an audience. They also learn principles of effective design, including typography and scientific figure creation.
“I started looking at presentations differently,” Zughbi says. “I understood what made them effective.”
While Zughbi found the class and NSF GRFP application process challenging—“I must have rewritten my research plan and personal statement 10 times,” he says—the effort paid off. After receiving the good news, Zughbi made the rounds to thank all the faculty who had guided and supported him along the way. The recognition, he says, has made him even more driven. He hopes to ultimately land a position in industry or a national laboratory.
He also recommends that every engineering student take a class on scientific communication, regardless of their career path.
“Whether you’re applying for a fellowship or a job, you have to be a good communicator,” Zughbi says. “You learn how to present yourself professionally in a way people understand. Those are skills all engineers need.”
Related Links:
- National Science Foundation: Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Faculty Profile: Ricardo H.R. Castro
- Lehigh News: "Matt O’Connell ’26 Strives to Help Others Live Healthier Lives Through Research"