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Two College of Liberal Arts and Sciences graduate students have been selected for the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) fellowship program. The award was created to support graduate students with research in one of five areas of expertise: Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science and Biological and Physical Sciences. For the 2025 cycle, there were 565 submissions with only 55 selected for the honor.

Ph.D. candidate in Geography, Jesse Kisembe, under the direction of advisor Berry Wen, Ph.D., was awarded the honor for his research proposal on examining dry spell events in the Horn of Africa—periods of little or no rain during the rainy season that increasingly threaten communities dependent on rain-fed agriculture. With evidence suggesting that dry spells are becoming longer and more intense, Kisembe aims to shed new light on how these events form and how their patterns are shifting over time.

“It’s a collaborative effort leading to answering the bigger question of how better can we have actionable, targeted climate information that serves our societies,” he said. 

Originally from Uganda, Kisembe sees his work as a pathway to supporting rural communities as they adapt to changing weather patterns. He calls the UF Department of Geography a “home away from home” and says he feels privileged to be both a GeoGator and a Gator at large. He credits UF’s robust computational resources, the guidance of his advisor Wen, and the rapid assistance of the college research office for helping bring his proposal to life.

Wen said Kisembe’s commitment to contributing to his culture is a big motivation for his research and made his proposal unique. 

For Wen, who has both her Ph.D. and postdoc supported by NASA, becoming an advisor for a FINESST award is a full circle moment. 

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to inspire the next generation,” said Wen. 

Second-year Ph.D. student in astronomy, Ruijie (Jay) Shi, under the direction of advisor Rana Ezzeddine, Ph.D., was awarded the honor for his research proposal on the origin of heavy elements in the universe. 

For the longest time scientists had only theoretical explanations for how elements near the bottom of the period table were produced, said Ezzeddine, that was until two neutron stars were observed colliding in 2017 and created some heavy elements. Yet with only a single data point a lot of questions that remain unanswered, she said. 

Ezzeddine said Shi’s research is groundbreaking as it will characterize with the highest precision the ejected material expected from colliding neutron stars or other explosive events as observed in stars today. With the backing of FINESST, this could lead to serious advancements of the field.

Shi said what drew him to the FINESST award was that it was open to international students, which he said in his experience not many fellowship programs are. Shi said his proposal would not have been possible without UF’s resources— contributing his success to his advisor, Ezzeddine, and the HiPerGator computational cluster. 

“Last April, I had my first visit here [UF], I found that it’s a small department, maybe one of the smallest on the campus, but everyone is super nice, super helpful, just like a big family,” he said. “Even after just two or three days I knew I made a good choice.” 

Shi said he continues to be proud to be a Gator everyday. 

Both Kisembe and Shi are slated to begin their research projects in January 2026.