UA Little Rock Doctoral Student Chosen for Competitive Research Fellowship in France

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock doctoral student has received a competitive fellowship that will allow him to conduct research in France in 2025.

Rajendra Subedi, a doctoral student in applied physics and a native of Nepal, is a recipient of the 2024-25 STEM Chateaubriand Fellowship, which includes airfare, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Subedi is just the second UA Little Rock student to receive the Chateaubriand Fellowship.

"This year feels like a dream," Subedi said. "I had my first peer-reviewed paper published in ACS Omega, and now I have been selected for the Chateaubriand Fellowship. I am very excited and honored to receive such a comprehensive and competitive fellowship. I am very excited to travel to France to conduct research at such a wonderful facility with Dr. Herth."

Subedi will be working with Dr. Etienne Herth at the Center for Nanotechnology and Nanoscience at the University of Paris-Saclay from Jan. 15 to July 15, 2025. In France, he will research the development of flexible photodetector sensors using tellurium-based nano and quantum structures.

Subedi earned his master's degree in physics from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. Before joining UA Little Rock in 2021, he previously worked as a physics teacher in Nepal. Now, Subedi works in the research lab of Dr. Gregory Guisbiers, associate professor of physics at UA Little Rock. His research involves the synthesis and characterization of nanoparticles and quantum dots.

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding Ph.D. students from American universities who wish to conduct research in France for a period ranging from four to nine months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, through a collaborative process involving expert evaluators in both countries.

The Chateaubriand Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Biology-Health (STEM) for doctoral students aims to initiate or reinforce collaborations, partnerships, or joint projects between French and American research teams. This fellowship is offered by the Office for Science & Technology (OST) of the Embassy of France in partnership with American universities and French research organizations such as Inserm, Inria, and the University of Paris-Saclay.