Vishnu Anandraj ’25 and Gwen Eichfeld ’25 have been named Thomas J. Watson Fellowship recipients.
Watson Fellows receive $40,000 for twelve months of travel to pursue an independent project based on their deepest interest on a global scale. After their Watson year, they will join a community of peers who provide support and inspiration.
Anandraj is an economics major, political science and creative writing double minor, from Plainsboro, N.J. He will explore how development-induced displacement impacts economies, environments, and local communities during his Watson fellowship. He plans to travel to Ghana, Nepal, and Peru, where he will engage with urban planners, conservationists, and indigenous groups to learn how they are affected by and provide solutions for communities displaced by dams, mining, and other projects. Anandraj hopes this project will help inform his career in sustainable development.
At Colgate, Anandraj is a sustainability intern, economics tutor, and president of Mock Trial. During the summer of 2023, He participated in a summer research project analyzing the economic and environmental impact of hydroelectric dam construction on local villages in Jammu, India, which helped inspire his Watson project. Additionally, he has held internships with The Friedlander Group and Spencer Stuart, and he is a writer for The Football Faithful.
Eichfeld, a neuroscience major from Winnetka, Ill., will be exploring new approaches to the treatment of rare diseases during her Watson year. During an internship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the summer of 2023, Eichfeld was able to observe rare-disease grand rounds in which patients and their families told their stories of living with a rare disease. A team of doctors and researchers then engaged in discussions about the biological mechanisms, etiology, diagnostic approaches, and potential treatments of the disease. This experience in part inspired Eichfeld’s Watson project. She plans to travel to Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Ghana, Germany, and Sweden talking to researchers, physicians, patients and their families, as well as other stakeholders and advocates for rare diseases, looking to learn about undiagnosed disease program networks across a range of cultures and healthcare systems.
On campus, Eichfeld is a member of the Colgate Women’s Ice Hockey team. A Golden Fellow, she also co-founded the Neuroscience Club on campus and is a certified EMT. In addition to her summer at the NIH, she participated in the Amgen Scholars Program at Harvard last summer and is a Goldwater Scholarship recipient. She is also a semifinalist for Fulbright research in Germany. After Colgate, Eichfeld plans to obtain an MD/PhD focusing on neuroscience. She aspires to conduct research as well as design and implement science-based therapies at the intersection of neuroscience, genetics, and disease.
To learn more about the Watson Fellowship or other national competitive awards, reach out to Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, in the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships to schedule an appointment.