Erin Hayes, a Phoenixville native and University of Pennsylvania senior, has been named a 2022 Gates Cambridge Scholar, writes Louisa Shepard for Penn Today.

Hayes, who is graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and a master’s degree in physics in the School of Arts & Science, has been awarded a scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England.

She is one of 23 U.S. students receiving a Gates Cambridge Scholarship this year. About 60 recipients from around the world will be selected and announced in April. The scholarships cover all the costs of studying at Cambridge for up to four years and also provide additional discretionary funding.

Hayes plans to “study supernovae in the near infrared as a probe of the accelerated expansion of the universe” at Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy. She also plans on continuing her efforts to “increase the involvement of women and underrepresented groups in physics through mentorship and advocacy,” she said.

Hayes has been working in astrophysics research since 2019, which earned her the Roy and Diana Vagelos Challenge Award in 2021.

Read more about Erin Hayes at Penn Today.