A record-tying four University of Notre Dame students, all from the , have been named 2026 Goldwater Scholars in recognition of their exceptional promise as future leaders in the natural sciences, engineering and/or mathematics. Juniors Charles Sander, Katherine Sopko, Ian Talty and Oliver Wardhana each will receive $7,500 for tuition and other expenses for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.
This is the third consecutive year that Notre Dame has had four Goldwater Scholars.
鈥淎t Notre Dame, we seek to form scientists who are driven by curiosity, grounded in purpose and committed to serving others through scientific discovery,鈥� said Holly Goodson, interim associate dean for education and undergraduate programs in the College of Science. 鈥淭he Goldwater Scholarship affirms those same ideals by supporting students who aspire to research careers that advance the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Charles, Katherine, Ian and Oliver exemplify this alignment of mission by balancing intellectual excellence with a desire to make a difference. Their achievements reflect the very best of a Notre Dame science education.鈥�
Charles Sander
Sander is an honors biological sciences, economics, and applied and computational mathematics and statistics (ACMS) triple major from Sacramento, California. He is a , a early inductee and a . At Notre Dame, Sander conducts neurobiology research in the lab of , the John M. and Mary Jo Boler Assistant Professor of . His work with Patzke has led to research collaborations under the mentorship of , the Fritz Duda Family Professor of ; , the Jane Schoelch DeFlorio Collegiate Professor of , and others at Notre Dame. He has also conducted neuroscience research on Alzheimer鈥檚 disease under Nobel laureate Thomas S眉dhof at Stanford University. Currently, he is involved in bioinformatics research with , professor of at Notre Dame. He is also writing a review paper on the therapeutic properties of psychedelics under the mentorship of , assistant teaching professor of biological sciences. Outside of his research, Sander does community health work with the . He also serves as director of academic affairs for , is a teaching assistant in the introductory biology lab, and is associate chief of staff of Scientia.
Katherine Sopko
Sopko is an honors biochemistry major from Waltham, Massachusetts. She conducts research in the lab of , the Huisking Foundation, Inc. Assistant Professor of at Notre Dame. In the Morimoto Lab, Sopko contributes to research around the development of chimeric molecules to promote cancer cell elimination through immune response modulation. She is co-president of the Biotechnology Club, a chemistry tutor, a peer tutor for first-year chemistry and biochemistry students, and a member of both Farley Hall Council and the program.
Ian Talty
Talty is an honors chemistry and mathematics double major from Haddonfield, New Jersey. He conducts research with , associate research professor at Notre Dame, in the . Talty contributes to research around the formation rate of transition metal oxides. He is vice president of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club and treasurer of the Curling Club. In his free time, he volunteers around South Bend through .
Oliver Wardhana
Wardhana is an honors biological sciences and ACMS double major from Arcadia, California. A Glynn Family Honors Scholar, he conducts research in the lab of , the John M. and Mary Jo Boler Collegiate Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Notre Dame. In the , Wardhana is involved in a benchmarking study comparing single-cell RNA sequencing cell type annotation methodologies, algorithms and tools. The study is also his thesis project. He is president and co-founder of iGEM@ND, a student-run synthetic biology team. The team won a gold medal at the 2025 iGEM Grand Jamboree in Paris. In his free time, he volunteers at Holy Cross 91视频 in South Bend through Mercy Works.
In applying for the Goldwater Scholarship, Sander, Sopko, Talty and Wardhana all worked closely with the (CUSE), which supports the intellectual development of Notre Dame students via scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships.
Emily Buika Hunt is assistant director of scholarly development for CUSE.
鈥淐ongratulations to Charles, Ian, Katherine and Oliver on the well-deserved recognition of their hard work and accomplishments. Each one of them has chosen to take advantage of the opportunities available to them at Notre Dame, including research, mentorship and rigorous coursework,鈥� Buika Hunt said. 鈥淢any Notre Dame faculty and staff members have played an important role in their development thus far, and will continue to do so as they move forward into their future studies and careers.鈥�
CUSE works with dozens of aspiring Goldwater Scholars each application cycle, Buika Hunt said, supporting them through the application process by offering guidance on writing, content framing and reference choices. A faculty nomination committee reviews the materials and selects the nominees. Rising sophomores and juniors who are interested in applying for the 2027 application cycle should reach out to CUSE by September to learn more.
Named for former U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Goldwater Scholarship seeks to foster and encourage outstanding sophomores and juniors to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. It is the preeminent undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
For more on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit .