Kate Carline ’26 and Alisha Khodabocus ’26 joined 439 other undergraduate students nationwide in receiving the scholarships.
Alisha Khodabocus ’26, left, and Kate Carline ’26, right, have been awarded Goldwater Scholarships, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing undergraduate research. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
William & Mary students Kate Carline ’26 and Alisha Khodabocus ’26 have been awarded Goldwater Scholarships, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing undergraduate research. 
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to help the United States produce highly qualified professionals in the critical fields of natural science, mathematics and engineering. The scholarships help to support researchers in the final two years of their bachelor’s degree programs.
For the 2025-2026 academic year, Carline and Khodabocus joined 439 other undergraduate students nationwide in receiving the scholarships, chosen from a pool of over 5,000 applicants nominated by 455 academic institutions. 
Since its creation, the Goldwater Foundation has awarded 11,162 scholarships to candidates interested in pursuing advanced research. Virtually all applicants intend to obtain a doctorate, and many past scholars have gone on to win an impressive pedigree of awards, fellowships and scholarships around the world.

Before Carline stepped onto campus, she had never picked up a pipette. By the end of her junior year, on top of earning the Goldwater Scholarship and being a 1693 Scholar, she had already authored and published her own research – twice.
A double major in biology and public policy, Carline has focused a majority of her research on bacteriophages and bioengineering microbial communities. One of the most predominant organisms in the biosphere, phages are groups of viruses that can evolve with and infect bacteria. Her research has looked at ways to better investigate potential soil solutions using engineered bacteria and bacteriophage that could benefit the environment or even have medical applications.
Drawing on her public policy major, Carline hopes phages can be used to fight off antibiotic resistance and hopes to work with policymakers to get these innovations out of the lab and into the field.
Going further, Carline wants to ensure that these treatments meet the needs of all by working with people all the way down to the local level.
“It’s not necessarily just focusing on (research) from a top-down academic (way), but also, what does the community want that we can then pull into our research spaces?” Carline said. “I know people in my town who are going to be using these solutions, so it’s their input that is very much valued.”
Carline has worked closely with Chancellor Professor Margaret Saha, whom she met during her freshman year. Saha recalled how while conducting labs to sequence phages from rat waste, Carline wanted to sequence the entire phage by herself, a task that typically takes a team of 16 people several months. From that moment, Saha knew Carline was destined for greatness.
“I was wondering why she didn’t apply (for the Goldwater Scholarship) her sophomore year,” Saha said. “She’s exuberant and curious in a way that makes science so much fun.” 
With the Goldwater Scholarship, Carline is able to put a greater focus on her research over the next year. She continues to look over her options after completing her bachelor’s degree, and she’s considering either entering a Ph.D. program for bioengineering or a fellowship abroad. 
“I’m very thankful for William & Mary focusing on undergraduate research,” she said. “There’s a reason we produce so many Goldwater Scholars year in and year out.”

Khodabocus sought a unique blend of disciplines as she began her research at William & Mary. A WMSURE Scholar and Monroe Scholar, she focuses her research on the intersection of data science, chemistry and environmental science to better understand how machine learning can be leveraged to address topics like climate change. 
“I had never considered that you can blend those topics together so easily,” Khodabocus said. “Data science is so applicable to so many different fields that I’m interested in.”
One of Khodabocus’s first introductions to the world of data science was in Professor Kristin Wusholtz’s lab. Since her freshman year, she’s worked closely with Wustholz to apply machine learning to single molecule identification, ranging in areas from biological imaging to art conservation. She became published for this work last year, and won the scholarships for her work using machine learning to identify biological dye in ballpoint pen ink.
Khodabocus deepened her interest in data science at the Center for Geospatial Analysis. In a class led by CGA Assistant Professor Katy Rossiter, she got first-hand experience with geographic information systems and how they could potentially be used in her research.
“I could tell she was excited right away about it,” said Rossiter. “She just continues to learn new things. She’s made several appointments with me outside of class to talk about the industry itself and how to navigate it.”
Throughout Khodabocus’ research, she always emphasizes the importance of the human aspects of data and the ways in which data can be used for good.
“I think that the best part about research is sharing it with others,” she said, emphasizing the WMSURE scholarship program’s role in that realization. “That program was really formative in ensuring that I could find space to do research and explore my interest.”
Receiving the Goldwater Scholarship affirms to Khodabocus that she is going down the right path. As she continues her current research and applies machine learning to chemistry, she’s looking toward the future after graduation. She hopes to earn her Ph.D. in data science and one day become a professor to continue her research.
“She makes a continuous effort,” said Rossiter. “It’s amazing. She’s going to put herself in a great position for whatever she decides to do after the preliminary zone.”
Current William & Mary students interested in applying for a Goldwater Scholarship should contact the Office of Undergraduate Affairs for more information.
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