Raeuf Roushangar, a Michigan State University Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biology who was born in Oman, has been selected as one of 77 finalists out of 1,200 applicants for the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans.
All finalists are immigrants, or children of immigrants, pursuing graduate education in the United States.
Roushangar is the only finalist from MSU. His research focus is “omics” technologies and their applications in personalized medicine. Working to create mathematical models to integrate various omics datasets, Roushangar believes this will improve diagnostic testing, medical decision-making and future individual patient healthcare.
He was born to an Iranian father and Egyptian mother, raised by her in Egypt after his father left for Iran. Due to his Bahá'I faith, Roushangar endured continuous discrimination, culminating in his suspension from Cairo University at 20 years old. He then traveled alone to the United States for a chance to continue his education, and spent six months homeless after his arrival.
Roushangar, along with all the finalists, will take part in the fellowship’s interviews, which are the final stage of the selection process.
In April, the organization will announce the 30 new fellows, who will receive up to $90,000 in grants to pursue graduate studies at U.S. universities.
As an undergraduate at MSU, Roushangar was awarded two research fellowships and published his findings on genetic interactions in human orofacial clefting syndromes.
In recognition of his many accomplishments, Roushangar was named the 2012-13 MSU Leader of the Year and received a 2013-14 Pamela J. Fraker Undergraduate Scholarship, which is awarded to a biochemistry major who has demonstrated the capacity to achieve education and professional goals, the motivation to achieve those goals and the initiative to seek opportunities to further his or her progress.
Pamela Fraker, MSU University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of biochemistry and molecular biology, who retired in May 2012 after 39 years in the department, established the scholarship in 2010.
“In my 40 years at MSU I have never met a student who has accomplished as much with so little as Raeuf,” Fraker said. “He exudes a quiet humanity that one readily feels when you interact with him. It’s an honor to provide a student like him some financial help.”
Not forgetting those in need, as a freshman he founded a nonprofit organization that to date has collected and shipped more than $500,000 worth of medical supplies from the United States to poor communities worldwide. For his work and leadership, Roushangar was awarded the Clinton Global Initiative and Martin Luther King awards, in addition to the MSU Leader of the Year award.
Paul and Daisy Soros, Hungarian immigrants and American philanthropists, established their fellowship program for new Americans in December 1997 to give back to the country that afforded them and their children great opportunities.
The fellowship program’s selection criteria focus on accomplishments that show creativity, originality and initiative in light of the challenges and opportunities that have been part of the applicant’s immigration story. The program is open to college seniors, students in the early stages of their graduate career and those in the workforce who are seeking graduate training.