Paul Rhatigan (’00) has received the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship, a highly competitive award that funds two years of study at the University of Cambridge.
Rhatigan, who studied at Cambridge last year, will use the Gates-Cambridge scholarship to conduct nanotechnology research at the doctorate level. He began the research last year while earning his master’s degree in engineering.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates-Cambridge scholarship to allow exceptional graduate students from outside the United Kingdom to study at Cambridge. The process is competitive, and only about 100 recipients are selected annually. The award covers the full costs of graduate study.
A 2004 electrical engineering graduate of University of Arizona, Rhatigan already has a number of other honors under his belt. He graduated summa cum laude and was named the Outstanding Graduate for the College of Engineering. During his time at UA, Rhatigan studied at the University of Hong Kong for a semester and traveled to Paris for a summer to attend the world-renowned Le Cordon Bleu International.
Last year Rhatigan won the Swanson International Scholarship, a biennial award that allows a graduated Flinn Scholar the opportunity to study at either Cambridge or the University of Oxford. The scholarship is provided by Robert and Nancy Swanson of Paradise Valley, Arizona.
While at Cambridge, Rhatigan rowed for Churchill College and joined Engineers Without Borders, an organization that sends engineers into developing countries to lend their expertise.
Rhatigan is the second Flinn to receive the Gates-Cambridge scholarship. In 2002, Johanna Schmidtke became the first Flinn Scholar to receive the honor.
For more information:
The Gates-Cambridge Scholarships