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March 5, 2025
Anusree Natraj ’24 Ph.D. has been selected as a 2025 Schmidt Science Fellow.
The Schmidt Fellows Program places promising post-doctoral scientists in internationally renowned labs where their research will be an academic pivot from their Ph.D. topic, thereby promoting an intersectional approach to addressing global challenges.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Natraj completed a Ph.D. in organic and materials chemistry at Northwestern last year. She first became interested in chemistry thanks to the influence of her grandparents, who both held advanced degrees in the subject. When she was in grade school, she remembers her grandmother explaining basic concepts like evaporation and condensation with everyday ingredients and helping her do experiments. Chemistry became Natraj’s favorite subject in school, and she studied it during her undergraduate career at Washington University in St. Louis.
At Northwestern, Natraj was part of the lab of William Dichtel, the Robert L. Letsinger Professor of Chemistry at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. There, she focused on a class of materials called two-dimensional polymers, working to synthesize them in the form of defect-free crystals, rather than brittle powders. This long sought-after, high-quality form gives scientists the ability to separate key industrial chemicals in a much less energy-intensive process than previously possible.
“Anusree’s scientific talent and willingness to take new approaches, including learning techniques outside of our research group’s expertise, led her to discover how polymerization in two dimensions occurs,” Dichtel said. “Her Ph.D. work is already highly influential and will enable this new class of materials to fully reach their potential.”
Natraj will now pivot to biology, a path that crystallized for her during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Seeing those two years of massive global suffering but also massively accelerated discoveries and deployments of vaccines really underscored the importance of biology and chemistry interfacing together,” she said.
She plans to explore how she can leverage her materials background in the world of medicine. After watching her grandmother go through complications from a hip replacement, Natraj wondered how she could make it easier for the body to acclimate to implants. During her fellowship, she hopes to work on a smart bioactive coating for implants that could provide controlled release of substances, such as oxygen and antibiotics, to support better integration with the body.
“It’s such a wonderful opportunity to really embrace the pivot into a completely new direction,” Natraj said. “I hope that I can learn a lot of new skills and talk to a lot of talented people across the world working on these intersectional ideas. That’s what’s so unique about the Schmidt Fellowship, it lets you really crosspollinate ideas.”
Schmidt Science Fellows receive a $110,000 stipend for living expenses, along with intentional mentorship opportunities and connections to a far-reaching network of global leaders in the sciences. The program is a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt, delivered in partnership with the Rhodes Trust.
Students interested in learning more about the Schmidt Science Fellowship and other opportunities should contact Northwestern’s Office of Fellowships.
