Wake Forest junior named Goldwater Scholar
Wake Forest University junior Mai Soliman, a biochemistry and molecular biology major and Winston-Salem native, has been named a 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, placing her among 441 outstanding college students nationwide to receive the award for the 2025-26 academic year.
The Goldwater Scholarship, the nation’s premier undergraduate award for STEM students, identifies future scientific leaders. Award winners were selected based on exceptional academic merit from a pool of more than 5,000 sophomores and juniors studying natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, representing 445 institutions.
“The Goldwater scholarship has opened a whole new world of opportunities and future experiences. It is exciting and an honor to represent Wake Forest on a national stage.” – Mai Soliman
Science education professor Debbie French mentored Soliman through the Goldwater application process. “Mai’s originality, analytical acumen and dedication to research are unparalleled for someone at her career stage,” said French. “She also has an innate ability to break down complex topics and explain them in an engaging and meaningful way. Her intellectual curiosity and dedication to public health position Mai to make transformative contributions to the fields of public health and regenerative medicine.”
In applying for the Goldwater, Soliman said she has learned to be passionate and confident about her abilities. “I learned not to doubt myself. As long as I put in my best effort, then what is meant to happen will happen.”
At Wake Forest, she has conducted research in Dr. Emmanuel Opara’s lab at the University’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine and with the Epidemiology and Cardiology Research Center at Wake Forest School of Medicine. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school to study regenerative medicine and stem cell research.
“Mai is very highly driven and self-motivated. She possesses an unusual zeal for research and asks probing questions. She has proven to be an excellent team player, exemplified by her collaboration with her peers and her willingness to assist others in our research group,” said Dr. Opara.
Soliman is passionate about multi-faceted approaches to medicine. She has conducted research on indoor air pollution in places of high cardiovascular mortality, population studies looking at risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and wet lab research on novel cell therapy applications to treat diabetes.
“With the relationship between cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as their high prevalence in the US and worldwide, I am excited about the possible applications my research may have on the larger scientific community.”
About the Goldwater Scholarship
Goldwater Scholars have gone on to win an impressive array of prestigious post-graduate fellowships, among which are the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Rhodes Scholarship, Marshall Scholarship, Churchill Scholarship, Hertz Fellowship, DOE Computation Science Graduate Fellowship, and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship.
The on-campus preparation and nomination process for the Goldwater Scholarship and other external scholarships is coordinated through the Wake Forest University Scholars Office and led by STEM Scholarships Faculty Director James Pease. Interested students are invited to visit the website to learn more and arrange an appointment.
Categories: Awards & Recognition, University Announcements
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