ASU students headed to Germany through prestigious DAAD-RISE program

The Lorraine Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement has announced that 33 Arizona State University students have been selected for the prestigious DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering, or RISE, program, a highly competitive international fellowship that places undergraduate students at leading research institutions across Germany each summer. 

With an international acceptance rate of approximately 11%, DAAD-RISE is considered one of the premier undergraduate STEM research opportunities in the world.

The 2026 ASU recipients represent a broad range of STEM disciplines, including aerospace engineering, biochemistry, biosciences, biomedical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering and neuroscience. Twenty-three of the 33 recipients are students in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, while six are from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and four are from the School of Life Sciences. Twenty-one recipients are also students in Barrett, The Honors College.

Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service, the DAAD-RISE program connects undergraduate students from North America, Great Britain and Ireland with projects at universities and research centers that align with their academic backgrounds and interests. Approximately 300 scholarships are awarded each year.

“This is one of our largest awardee cohorts to date,” said Catherine Salgado, program manager for global awards in the Office of National Scholarships Advisement. “ASU has become a top producer of DAAD-RISE scholars, averaging 18 students annually since 2022 and representing roughly 10% of the international cohort in both 2024 and 2026,” Salgado said. “That success took a new step this year when the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering co-sponsored seven awards for the first time, through a DAAD initiative that invites universities to partner in expanding the number of opportunities available to students.”

Beyond the technical research experience, RISE participants often find that living and working abroad helps them develop cross-cultural communication skills, adapt to new professional environments and build international research networks.

“This kind of collaboration and investment makes a huge impact. We hear from students that their DAAD experience is often the first thing interviewers ask about, more so than local internships,” Salgado said. “Working abroad signals adaptability and independence to employers in a way that is hard to replicate.”

For many students, the program also offers opportunities to experience parts of the world, cultures and research environments they otherwise might never encounter.

“This award was a massive opportunity for me to explore parts of the world I never anticipated seeing,” said Rayna Hylden, a senior majoring in materials engineering. “My family did not have opportunities for overseas travel growing up, so living and traveling in Europe once felt very distant to me. This award gave me a chance I never thought I would have, and it reflects the hard work I have put into my studies and research.”

Hylden has conducted research in ASU’s Renewable Energy Materials and Devices Lab under Nicholas Rolston since May 2024 through programs including the NASA Space Grant, the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative and her Barrett Honors Thesis.

Her research focuses on scaling low-cost solar cell technologies from the laboratory to industrial production to improve efficiency, reduce costs and support long-term sustainability in energy systems.

Aditi Shrestha, a senior majoring in electrical engineering, said she applied for the program to gain research experience while immersing herself in a different work culture.

“I wanted to learn how to become a better researcher, but also how to communicate and pitch ideas to a group of people I had never met before and might not initially feel comfortable around,” Shrestha said. “I felt that this experience would help me grow both professionally and personally.”

Shrestha said the award also represents the value of persistence in pursuing competitive international opportunities.

“Receiving this award means a lot to me because it represents perseverance and growth,” Shrestha said. “As a 2025 DAAD applicant, I was waitlisted and did not receive funding at the time. Instead of giving up, I used that experience as motivation to gain more hands-on lab experience and apply again the following year.”

Elyssa Kartchner, a senior majoring in physical chemistry, said her nearly two years conducting physical chemistry research in the Levitus Laboratory at ASU’s Biodesign Institute strengthened both her laboratory and analytical skills while deepening her interest in research with potential medical applications.

“My project focuses on self-healing conductive polymers, which could be useful in flexible implanted medical devices,” she said. “I hope this research will help improve medical care by making implanted devices more comfortable and long-lasting.”

She said she plans to pursue a doctorate in chemistry after completing her undergraduate degree and believes the program will help prepare her for the demands of graduate research.

Kartchner also credited the Office of National Scholarships Advisement with providing guidance throughout the process and helping prepare her for the opportunity.

“ONSA was very helpful throughout the application process,” Kartchner said. “During the intake appointment, they walked me through the process and provided useful resources. They also helped me review and refine my application materials.”

The 2026 DAAD-RISE recipients from ASU, their majors and where in Germany they’ll study are:

• Zikang Chen, junior, life sciences, Juelich
• Erik O'Bryant, junior, bioengineering, Chemnitz
• Emma James, junior, bioengineering, Dresden
• Shailey Kelly, senior, microbiology, Karlsruhe
• Rayna Hylden, senior, materials science, Stuttgart
• Ryan Crane, senior, mechanical engineering, Dresden
• Sambhavi Singh, junior, astronomy, Garching b München
• Saaj Chowdhury, senior, biology, Jena
• Michelle Kim, senior, computer science, Jülich
• Alessandra Allocca, senior, mechanical engineering, Chemnitz
• Zeyad George, junior, electrical engineering, Mülheim an der Ruhr
• Yasoa Habbaba, senior, bioengineering, Kiel
• Aditi Shrestha, senior, electrical engineering, Emmerthal
• Lily Sherman, senior, software engineering, Freiberg
• Elyssa Kartchner, senior, physical chemistry, Ilmenau
• Randi Howell, senior, civil engineering, Bochum
• Kenisha Kaushal, junior, computer science, Darmstadt
• Helen Nguyen, senior, biomedical engineering, Braunschweig
• Vivian Saavedra, senior, chemical engineering, Karlsruhe
• Maddox Turner, junior, materials science, Jena
• Lauren Nowak, junior, biochemistry, Clausthal.
• Alexandra Park, senior, biophysics, Hohenheim
• Jensy Perez, junior, electrical engineering, Kaiserslautern
• Hui Zhuang, senior, computer science, Hamburg
• Meghna Nair, senior, biological sciences, Kiel
• Aaron Walker, senior, earth and environmental sciences, Hessen
• Joshua Wan, senior, mechanical engineering, Saarbrücken
• Ashlee Nguyen, junior, electrical engineering, Kaiserslautern
• Quinlan Harris, senior, engineering management, Bochum
• Aidan Avona, senior, mechanical engineering, Freiburg
• Ananya Sharma, senior, computer science, Leipzig
• Anusri Gnanaprakasam, senior, safety and security, Dresden

• Jiabin Xi, sophomore, machine learning and artificial intelligence, Oldenburg