Nominated by Associate Professor of Psychology Alexandra List, Xu went through Hamilton’s internal nomination process — “a really, really long application,” he laughed — and was selected as one of the College’s four nominees. This wasn’t Xu’s first shot at the Goldwater Scholarship, and that made the award all the more momentous.
He remembers how it felt receiving the news: “It was definitely very rewarding and a very proud moment, especially considering that I applied the previous year and didn’t get it. It was a sign that I was on the right track and my accomplishments are being recognized. It’s really encouraging,” Xu said.
Yuxuan Xu ’26
Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: New York, New York
Xu is currently spending the semester at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., where he’s exploring how marine organisms can reveal insights into human biology. His time at Woods Hole has him excited for a future in science; he has ambitions to earn a Ph.D. in neuroscience, the inspiration for which he attributes to Professor of Biology Emeritus Herman Lehman.
Xu is especially interested in the world of sense and perception. “Our senses are something that we take for granted every day. I’m interested in studying the mechanisms of our body and how we perceive information from different modalities to make sense of the world,” he said.
His commitment to the sciences is what earned him this nomination, and it spans multiple departments at Hamilton and beyond. He’s studied EEG brain waves with Professor List to explore correlations with political orientation, tested new drug-like reactions with Associate Professor of Chemistry Max Majireck, and examined addiction behaviors in rats using chemogenetic tools with Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Siobhan Robinson. Last summer, he was part of the SSRP-AMGEN scholars program at Stanford, and this summer he hopes to continue research at Woods Hole.
But research isn’t all Xu does. He’s also a Writing Center tutor, a club soccer captain, a member of Psi Chi, and a leader in Roots, a student organization for people of color in STEM. In 2024, he won the Coleman Burke Prize scholarship, awarded to sophomores for excellence in academic, extracurricular, and leadership roles. But across all of his activities, it’s the community that stands out most. “I definitely couldn’t have done any of this without the amazing professors and people at Hamilton,” he said. “They’re just so genuinely invested in your success.”
The Goldwater Scholarship is federally funded, and for Xu, receiving it in today’s political climate adds another layer of meaning. “Science funding is under threat,” he said. “So seeing that young scientists like me — and 400 others across the country — are being recognized is really reassuring. Receiving the scholarship has felt like good news in the middle of a lot of turmoil and uncertainty.”
Fellowship Advising at Hamilton
Students interested in learning about the Goldwater Scholarship should contact Director of Student Fellowships Lisa Grimes.
