Two Indian American juniors at Princeton win Goldwater scholarships

The Goldwater Scholarship program was established in 1986 and supports outstanding undergraduates committed to careers in research.

Kaivalya Kulkarni (left) and Pranav Mathur (right). / Princeton University

Kaivalya Kulkarni and Pranav Mathur, both students of Indian origin at Princeton University, have been named 2025 Goldwater Scholars, a prestigious national award given to undergraduates pursuing research careers in science, engineering, or mathematics. They are among 441 recipients selected this year from across the United States.

Kulkarni and Mathur are members of the Class of 2026.

Kulkarni, a mathematics major from Okemos, Michigan, plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. He has worked as an undergraduate course assistant in the math department and contributed as a writer for the Princeton University Mathematics Competition. Outside of academics, he is an accomplished cellist, performing with the campus chamber group Opus, the cello ensemble La Vie en Cello, and the Princeton University Orchestra. In 2024, he was named a winner of the Princeton University Orchestra Concerto Competition. Kulkarni is affiliated with Rockefeller College.

Mathur, who hails from Centerville, Virginia, is majoring in electrical and computer engineering and minoring in computer science and engineering physics. He aims to pursue a Ph.D. in quantum science and engineering. On campus, he is an undergraduate researcher at the Thompson Lab and serves as president of Princeton Students in Quantum. Mathur is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and has received the Manfred Pyka Memorial Physics Prize (2023) and a Shapiro Prize for Academic Excellence (2023–24). He is a member of Mathey College.

The Goldwater Scholarship program was established in 1986 by Congress in honor of Senator Barry Goldwater. It supports outstanding undergraduates committed to careers in research.

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