2025 AWSEF Scholarship Recipients

We had a record number of applicants for our 2025 scholarship period, representing students from 11 different universities across North America. 

With this year’s awards, the AWSEF has provided more than $576,000 in scholarships to 185 students at 25 different universities across the United States and Canada since 1995.

Congratulations to…

• Brandt Bastow
  PhD candidate at the University of California–Davis
  Scholarship in Memory of Thomas King (Anonymous Donor)
  Developing rapid, affordable methods to detect smoke taint using fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometric modeling, empowering growers with timely harvest decisions during wildfire events.

• Arpa Boghozian
  PhD candidate at the University of California–Davis
  AWS Chapter of Cleveland, Ohio Scholarship
  Investigating the impact of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus on fruit development to support new enzyme-based vineyard practices that preserve quality and reduce grower losses.

• Michael Cook
  PhD candidate at Texas A&M University
  W. J. Rachele Endowment Scholarship
  Studying irrigation strategies across Texas wine regions to improve grapevine resilience, wine stability, and berry composition in the face of climate extremes.

• Hannah Frank
  PhD candidate at Cornell University
  AWS Chapter of Meadowlands, NJ Scholarship
  Modeling beneficial soil fungi (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)) to give growers a predictive tool for soil health and cost-effective decisions about inoculants.

• Isidora Silva-Valderrama
  PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia
  Banfi Vintners Scholarship
  Predicting the virulence of grapevine trunk disease pathogens and developing tools to reduce their impact and safeguard vineyard longevity.

• Jesse Stevens
  MSc candidate at Washington State University
  AWS Chapter of North Alabama Scholarship
  Optimizing UVC light as an eco-friendly treatment for powdery mildew and refining sulfur application guidelines to minimize phytotoxicity risks.

• Douglas Vines
  MSc candidate at the University of Minnesota
  Virginia Wydler Scholarship
  Advancing cold-hardy grapevine breeding by uncovering genetic traits related to winter survival and late bud break in cold climates.

• Nikolas Wilson
  PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia
  AWS Special Scholarship
  Testing mitigation strategies for heat-stressed grapevines, including irrigation and canopy sprays, and comparing heat tolerance across key grape varieties.

Watch the full video about our American Wine Society Educational Foundation (AWSEF) 2025 Scholarship Awardees