Julia Fancher, a senior at Syracuse University, has been awarded her second Astronaut Scholarship for the 2025-26 academic year by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Fancher is majoring in physics and mathematics and is part of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. She was initially named an Astronaut Scholar for the 2024-25 year.
The ASF, established by the Mercury 7 astronauts, provides scholarships to junior or senior students pursuing STEM degrees with plans to advance their field after graduation. The scholarship includes up to $15,000 for educational expenses, a trip to ASF Innovators Week and Gala in Houston, and mentoring opportunities.
“My Astronaut Scholar experience so far has been amazing,” Fancher stated. “I have met so many new people, and they have been a wonderful support system both in terms of research and general life advice.”
Fancher began her research journey at Syracuse as a first-year student under Eric Coughlin, assistant professor of physics. Her work focuses on tidal disruption events (TDEs), which occur when a star is destroyed by a black hole’s tidal field. Her research could lead to new insights into distant black holes and stellar populations.
After graduating from Syracuse, Fancher plans to pursue a doctoral program in computational and analytical astrophysics with aspirations of joining a research university or national laboratory.
“I aim to build my own astrophysics lab focusing on discovering possible mechanisms of observed astrophysical transients through a combination of analytical methods and computational modeling,” she added.
ASF was created in 1984 in honor of the Mercury 7 astronauts. Since then, it has awarded over $9 million to more than 800 college students. As an ASF partner, Syracuse University can nominate two students annually for this scholarship. Interested students should contact CFSA for nomination details.
