The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Division of Undergraduate Education, and Scholarship Opportunities Program (SOP) are thrilled to announce that Grant Lai is UC Irvine’s first-ever Churchill Scholarship recipient.
The Churchill Scholarship, established by Sir Winston Churchill in 1963, is one of the most prestigious STEM awards in higher education. Selection for the Churchill Scholarship is extremely competitive and based on exceptional academic achievement, excellence in research, and demonstrated professional competence and dedication to their field of study through publications and presentations, leadership or mentoring roles, and/or significant work experience.
The Winston Churchill Foundation only accepts nominations from a limited number of participating institutions. In addition to submitting the application form, a personal statement, transcripts, and letters of recommendation, students must receive an official endorsement from their college or university to be considered for the scholarship. Recipients of the scholarship are invited to study and conduct independent scientific research at Cambridge University for one year. The award covers the cost of tuition, roundtrip airfare to the United Kingdom, visa fees, health reimbursement, and a stipend to cover additional living expenses. Recipients also have the opportunity to apply for a $4,000 special research grant. The total value of the Churchill Scholarship is around $75,000.
Grant Lai, a fourth-year double majoring in Chemistry and Biological Sciences, is one of only 16 recipients of the 2025-26 Churchill Scholarship. Grant is the first student from UC Irvine to receive this prestigious award. In addition to being named a 2025-26 Churchill Scholar, Grant has received numerous awards that recognize his excellence throughout his undergraduate career, including being named a UC Irvine Regents’ Scholar, a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar, a two-time Pitts Award recipient, and an Arnold O. Beckman Scholar. Since January 2022, he has worked as an undergraduate researcher in the UC Irvine Nowick lab, advancing the development of peptide antibiotics. Grant’s future goals include pursuing an MD/PhD to become a physician-scientist, bridging the interface of chemical biology and clinical medicine.
James Bullock, Dean of the UC Irvine School of Physical Sciences and Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, congratulated Grant, saying:
“We are tremendously proud of Grant and all he’s accomplished as a student, a researcher, and a student leader on campus. Grant is an exemplar of excellence at UC Irvine, and I look forward to following his accomplishments well into the future.”
To celebrate this incredible accomplishment and learn more about Grant and his future plans, Dr. Rose Jones, Director of the SOP, invited Grant to join her for a congratulatory interview.
Rose: Welcome Grant; thank you for meeting with me. First, I want to congratulate you on winning the Churchill Scholarship! What does winning this prestigious award mean to you?
Grant: Thank you! Winning this scholarship means that I have the chance to not only study abroad, which is something I’ve always wanted to do, but also to learn new ideas and skills at a key point in my education and early career. I remember stories about my maternal grandfather going to England early in his career, and this is an opportunity for me to see and experience those stories for myself.
Rose: How did you learn about the Churchill Scholarship?
Grant: I first heard about the Churchill Scholarship through the UC Irvine Scholarship Opportunities Program (SOP) website. The scholarship had sat at the back of my mind, but I only seriously thought about it in the last year. I am glad that I applied and am very excited for next year.
Rose: What was the Churchill application process like?
Grant: The Churchill application was fairly straightforward. The official website provided clear guidance on materials that are needed, and the SOP offered step-by-step guidance on how to apply and prepare essays. The most helpful part was being able to see past UC Irvine students’ essays.
Rose: What do you hope to accomplish while studying at Cambridge?
Grant: I don’t like setting high expectations for myself, but I do hope to present some research outcomes by the end of my MPhil at Cambridge. I wouldn’t say I hope to accomplish something grand or specific, but I wish to learn something new and take those lessons with me beyond Cambridge.
Rose: What excites you the most about this opportunity?
Grant: The most exciting part for me is being able to interact in a new academic environment on a new continent. I’ve never been to England, let alone Europe, so everything is exciting.
Rose: I and everyone at UC Irvine are excited for you as well! Switching gears a bit, how did you become a UC Irvine Anteater?
Grant: I chose UC Irvine for several reasons. The Regents’ Scholarship coupled with the ability to live at home made UC Irvine the most financially viable option for my education. Since my younger brother would also be preparing for college in a few years, this made affordability a priority. Additionally, I wasn’t quite ready for the independence of a faraway university. I still had much to learn about myself, and being close to my family provided the best mental grounding. Lastly, the lingering uncertainty of the post-COVID world made staying close to home feel safer and more comfortable.
Rose: You’re a double major in Chemistry and Biological Sciences; did you always plan to focus on these subjects?
Grant: This is actually a funny story. I was admitted to UC Irvine as a Biomedical Engineering major. However, a quick look at the coursework made me reconsider my options. I initially wanted to switch to Bio Sci because that was my favorite subject in high school; I had regularly competed in the USA Biolympiad competition. However, UC Irvine didn’t allow me to switch, so I switched to Chemistry. Chemistry was a tough subject for me in high school, but I really liked my chemistry teacher, Mr. David Monge, who was also a Chemistry major at UC Irvine back in the early 2010s. I stuck with Chemistry because my first-year general Chemistry course sold me on the beauty and elegance of the subject. Of course, I also added Bio Sci, so that’s how I ended up as a double-major.
Rose: One of the things that sticks out in your academic record is your dedication to research. How did you get involved with research on campus?
Grant: In my CHEM 11 seminar course, I had the opportunity to hear about all the different careers and research groups in the Department of Chemistry. On one of the research presentation days, a graduate student, now Dr. Chelsea Jones, from Professor James Nowick’s Laboratory presented her research on using peptides to inhibit antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Even as a first-year student who knew nothing about organic chemistry, the research sounded very exciting and impactful. I emailed Dr. Jones to see if there was an opening to do research in the Nowick Laboratory, and after a short interview, I was invited to join the research laboratory. The rest is history.
Rose: What research are you currently working on?
Grant: I’m working on synthesizing a noncanonical amino acid that would be amenable to solid-phase peptide synthesis, an important technique in synthetic chemical biology. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. In the Nowick Laboratory, we focus on creating shorter proteins called peptides. Specifically, I am studying a peptide antibiotic called teixobactin. The goal is to develop antibiotics with potent activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and good handling and pharmacological properties.
Rose: Did you receive mentorship at UC Irvine? If so, how did these mentors impact your experience?
Grant: I’ve been lucky enough to have many mentors at UC Irvine. I worked primarily with Dr. Chelsea Jones in the Nowick Laboratory for my first two and a half years. Dr. Jones guided me from knowing nothing about how to conduct chemistry research to being able to ask questions and investigate on my own. Professor James Nowick was also a significant mentor and has always been supportive of me exploring new questions in the laboratory and applying to different opportunities.
The graduate students in the Nowick, Dong, and Jarvo Laboratories have also been very welcoming and patient with me. They have guided me through many problems in my coursework, research, and life. Among faculty, Professors A.J. Shaka, David Van Vranken, and Suzzane Blum were all key mentors at each stage in my undergraduate career, teaching me important lessons in chemistry and beyond.
Rose: In addition to thanking your mentors, is there anyone else you’d like to thank for their support?
Grant: I would like to thank my parents for raising me and being patient with me. I would also like to thank my partner Jocelyn for being supportive and there for me all the time. I would like to give a shoutout to my brother Gavin for being the best brother and listening to all my yap-sessions. Lastly, I would like to shout out to my chemistry friends and cohort mates; my college experience would not be this wonderful without you all.
Rose: It’s great that you have such a strong support system. I know they and the entire UC Irvine community will be cheering you on as you embark on your Churchill experience. To close this out, can you share your best advice to help other students make the most of their time at UC Irvine?
Grant: Be honest about what you like and don’t like—that’s my biggest advice. I think being honest with yourself is the first step to figuring out who you are as a person, and that is priceless information given our limited time at UC Irvine.
Connect with Grant on LinkedIn to keep up with his news and updates. Interested in applying for the Churchill Scholarship or other prestigious awards? The SOP can help! Visit the SOP website to learn more about resources and services. You can also connect with the SOP on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
