UNH Today

Sarah Nicholls ’25 has been awarded the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, becoming the first UNH student to ever receive the award. Approximately 25 such scholarships are offered to U.S. students each year.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship “offers full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge,” according to the scholarship website. Nicholls will be pursuing a Ph.D. in medical science, focusing her research on the protein tau, which is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s one of my biggest dreams come true — and also, to some extent, a responsibility to uphold the principles of the Gates Cambridge Trust and do my best to make the world a better place,” Nicholls, a biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology major who is pursuing a writing minor, as well, says. “I’m thrilled to begin working in a field that I find fascinating and has the potential to help a huge number of people.”

Nicholls – who in 2024 had been awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate award for science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) majors who plan to pursue a Ph.D. and have a career in research – is excited to study at what she called “one of the leading institutions in the world in Alzheimer’s research,” where she will have the opportunity to work with respected experts on the topic.

Nicholls was thrilled to have received the opportunity – right after she got over the initial surprise and disbelief.

“I was shocked and absolutely over the moon. It still almost doesn’t feel real,” she says. “After I reread the email about five times and stopped shaking, I woke my roommate up, and then I called my parents.”

The scholarship will bring her close to her father’s roots, as he hails from the south of England, and Nicholls says she has enjoyed visiting family there over the years. But she is also eager to discover new people and places.

“Outside of the lab, I’m excited for the chance to live in and explore the UK, build on my passion for science communication via the Gates Scholar community and Cambridge outreach events and make new friends from around the world,” she says.

Nicholls credits her “professors, mentors, friends and parents” for their support during the application process, and gave a special shoutout to Leigh Pratt, director of UNH’s Office of National Fellowships, for her guidance and encouragement.

“I’m really looking forward to joining the Gates Scholars community and forming lifelong bonds and exchanging ideas with other passionate, motivated students and researchers,” Nicholls says. “I’m honored by the faith that those at the Gates Foundation, the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) and here at UNH have put in me, and I hope to make them proud.”

Interested in pursuing a Gates Cambridge Scholarship? Learn more about this and other opportunities available through the Office of National Fellowships.