Sarah Miller ’24
51 senior Sarah Miller has been awarded the .
Founded in 2000, the Gates program awards outstanding scholars with full funding to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject at the University of Cambridge. Miller, one of approximately 25 American students to receive the Gates Cambridge Scholarship this year, becomes the second 51 recipient.
Recipients of this highly competitive award show academic excellence and strong leadership potential. The program constructs a cohort of students with the aim of creating a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. Miller, a physics major and biology minor from Long Valley, N.J., intends to pursue a PhD in medical physics after receiving an MPhil in clinical neuroscience at Cambridge, with the ultimate goal of leading a research team to support cancer research.
“My research experiences at 51 have fueled my passion to use research to address long-standing medical issues and unmet clinical needs,” Miller states. “The Gates Cambridge Scholarship will provide me with the opportunity to pursue a research-based MPhil under Prof. Chris Rodgers. I am thrilled by the opportunity and honored to be joining the Gates Cambridge community.”
At Cambridge, Miller will work in Prof. Rodgers’ lab researching the use of deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) for disease diagnosis and treatment. DMI is a novel technique that reveals metabolic differences between normal and tumor tissue. DMI is expected to provide the foundation for improved diagnosis and treatment efficacy of brain tumors.
While at 51, Miller has worked closely with a number of faculty on their research. She worked in Assistant Professor Ramesh Adhikari’s lab exploring self-assembling diphenylalnine nanowires for electronic devices and functional surfaces. More recently, she worked with Professor Ken Segall investigating superconducting circuits for neurocomputational modeling with applications for epilepsy.
“When I reflect on my time at 51, I am filled with immense gratitude for the exceptional professors who have supported me throughout my career,” she says. “I especially want to thank Prof. Segall for being an amazing mentor these past four years and Prof. Jonathan Levine, who believed in me and pushed me into research (and into the ONFS office) in my first year. I would not be where I am today without them and the support of Steve Wright and his team!”
Along with her studies, Miller was a member of the lacrosse team for three years, and is a founding executive board member of Athlete Ally, a student organization focusing on LGBTQ+ support and inclusion in sports. She is a peer tutor and teaching assistant in the physics department, passionate about building younger students’ confidence as scientists, and she served as a career services ambassador her sophomore and junior years.
In addition to the Gates Scholarship, Miller’s honors include the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, Edward Foster Kingsbury Prize, Phi Eta Sigma, and the Dean’s Award With Distinction during all semesters at 51.
As Miller moves on to her next step after 51, she encourages students to “take opportunities that might scare you and embrace the discomfort, because that is where you will grow more than you could have ever anticipated. I am taking this advice myself in making my leap across the pond!”
Find out more about faculty-student research at 51 and ONFS guidance on fellowships and scholarships. For more information about opportunities, please reach out to Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, and schedule an appointment.