A Double Win! HAS Student Jack Flanigan Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and U of A University Fellowship
Congratulations to Jack Flanigan, a HAS student working with Dr. Bo Guo, on receiving the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award and being selected by the Graduate College as a University of Arizona University Fellow!
The NSF GRFP is one of the nation’s most competitive graduate fellowships, supporting outstanding students pursuing research-based graduate degrees in STEM. Jack was also selected for the University Fellows Program, a prestigious award offered to UArizona’s highest-ranked incoming graduate students. The program provides financial support, interdisciplinary professional development, mentoring, and community engagement opportunities.
Jack received his undergraduate degree in Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Arizona after transferring from Northern Arizona University and beginning his academic path at community college. His research interests include contaminant hydrology, PFAS transport, plant uptake of emerging contaminants, and environmental health.
As a graduate student, Jack will continue working with Dr. Bo Guo on developing mechanistic models for the transport and accumulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in plants. His research aims to better understand how PFAS move from contaminated soils and pore water into plant roots and shoots, with the long-term goal of developing practical tools to assess risks to agriculture, groundwater, and human exposure. His proposed work links soil physics, plant transport, and contaminant hydrology to address a poorly understood pathway for PFAS exposure.