Sumer Moudgil Receives Fulbright

Sumer Moudgill, an Applied Physics major, and double minor in Materials Science and Engineering and East Asian Studies, will conduct research in India next year as a Fulbright grantee. His work as an undergraduate focused on analyzing data from large international gravitational-wave observatories, including research conducted under Professor Zsuzsanna Marka. Drawing on this experience, Sumer’s work will contribute to the development of INDIGO, a gravitational-wave detector currently under construction in India, where his Fulbright project will focus on understanding and seeking to reduce sources of measurement noise to improve the instrument’s sensitivity. Beyond his scientific research at Columbia, Sumer served as an undergraduate Teaching Assistant and was engaged in a range of interests, including Tae Kwon Do, ballroom dance, and astronomy. He looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for science, education, athletics, and the arts with his host community in India. 

He is among 24 graduates from Columbia University's three undergraduate schools chosen to receive 2026–2027 Fulbright U.S. Student Grants. He joins nine additional recipients from Columbia’s graduate programs and two at-large awardees. The Fulbright program enables recipients to conduct independent research, pursue graduate-level studies, or teach English in classrooms across the globe.