Montana Tech senior Jakob Nielsen earns NSF Fellowship, top fellowship to University of Notre Dame

Montana Technological University mechanical engineering senior Jakob Nielsen has been awarded two prestigious research fellowships.

Nielsen has been selected to receive the 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP) and the Richard and Peggy Notebaert Premier Fellowship from the University of Notre Dame.

 “Jakob has been exceptionally dedicated to both academics and research at Montana Tech,” Montana Tech National Student Awards Committee Chair Dr. Marisa Pedulla said. “He has consistently sought competitive external funding, including two nominations for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and, this year, the NSF GRFP. His experiences at Brookhaven further prepared him for success in graduate studies and an impactful career in nuclear engineering. Montana Tech’s National Student Awards Committee proudly celebrates his graduate fellowships!”  

“It has been incredible getting to know and being able to help Jakob as he has pursued his goals. Working with him for the last three years as he has pursued these nationwide scholarships and fellowships really emphasizes why the job of a professor is the best job in the world,” Mechanical Engineering Department Head Dr. Richard LaDouceur said. “Jakob has already studied a wide range of topics from mineral extraction to heart cells and as he moves onto his studies in nuclear fields, he really shows the adaptable and preparedness that is associated with Mechanical Engineering.”

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship is a five-year award with three years of financial support with an annual stipend of $37,000. The National Science Foundation makes the awards to ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.

The Richard and Peggy Notebaert Premier Fellowship is awarded to the top 1% of incoming doctoral researchers at the University of Notre Dame, according to the letter Nielsen was sent. It provides a stipend of $46,000 to $48,000, depending on program, on a 12-month basis for up to five years, along with priority access to professional development funds.

“I am humbled to receive these awards,” Nielsen said. “The NSF GRFP is extremely competitive across the nation for both scientists and engineers. For me, these awards will open doors in my Ph.D. and beyond.”

Nielsen’s journey at Montana Tech started as a Butte High sophomore. The pandemic left him under stimulated academically, so he reached out to Dr. Jack Skinner, who was the founding director of the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory (MTNL) to ask about research opportunities.

The MTNL houses a clean room with lithography bay and general clean room space with expansive fabrication and characterization equipment, including a scanning electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope, sputter and evaporation deposition tools, a deep reactive ion etching tool, and a spectroscopic ellipsometer, among other specialty equipment valued at more than $5 million. While the lab was unable to accommodate him at the time due to the pandemic, Nielsen followed up with Dr. Jack Skinner the next year, at the time department head of Mechanical Engineering, and he was brought into the MTNL to assist with research starting his junior year of high school.

“It has been a pleasure seeing Jakob mature in his career over the last several years,” Dean of the Lance College of Mines and Engineering Dr. Jack Skinner said. “He came into our lab and university determined to build his critical thinking and analytic problem-solving skills, while building his scientific and engineering acumen. He was able to thrive at Montana Tech with our world-class facilities, faculty, staff, and students. I’m very proud of what he has accomplished and look forward to all the great things he will achieve. I see a strong tie between Jakob and Montana Tech as we grow our energy programs, particularly in the nuclear sector, as Jakob goes on to work on his Ph.D. at Notre Dame in the nuclear sciences.”

By the time Nielsen enrolled at Montana Tech, he was already working in the lab and quickly took on independent research projects. In addition to his work in the Nanotechnology Laboratory—where he contributed to projects in bioengineering and critical mineral recovery—Nielsen expanded his experience through national research opportunities. In summer 2025, he was selected for the Nuclear Chemistry Summer School at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a competitive six-week program that explores topics ranging from radiochemistry and nuclear detectors to nuclear structure and physics.

“That program really helped me hone in on what I wanted to do moving forward in my career,” Nielsen said.

During the program, Nielsen connected with researchers and faculty from across the country, including University of Notre Dame Associate Professor Amy Hixon, who will serve as his doctoral advisor. The experience helped solidify his decision to pursue a Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry, where he will study within an engineering-focused program while continuing interdisciplinary work.

Nielsen also completed a yearlong internship with NorthWestern Energy, gaining firsthand insight into the challenges facing the nation’s power grid. That experience, combined with his research background, sparked his interest in nuclear energy as a reliable solution to growing energy demands.

“With the rise of AI and increasing energy needs, our demand is going to outgrow what we currently have,” Nielsen said. “Nuclear energy is one of the only ways I see us being able to meet that demand.”

His proposed graduate research focuses on improving the sustainability of nuclear energy systems, including methods to recycle nuclear fuel and reduce waste through advanced reactor technologies.

At Montana Tech, Nielsen credits the university’s hands-on approach and close faculty mentorship for helping him reach this point.

“You don’t always get the opportunity to start research as early or build those relationships at larger universities,” Nielsen said. “At Montana Tech, I was able to work closely with faculty, take on my own projects, and really build a foundation for where I want to go.”

In addition to receiving the national fellowship, Nielsen is one of the 2026 valedictorians at Montana Tech and a recipient of the Chester H. Steele Award, which recognizes the top graduating senior in engineering with the highest scholastic achievement. He was also named the 2026 Gold Medal Award recipient by the Montana Society of Engineers, an honor presented annually to an outstanding graduating engineering senior.

After completing his Ph.D., Nielsen is considering several paths, including working as a principal investigator at a national laboratory, returning to academia as a professor, or launching a company in the nuclear energy sector.

He said he’s grateful to his parents and grandparents for being his biggest supporters in life, from never missing a travel sports game in high school, to encouraging him to continue applying for academic opportunities, even when they didn’t always yield results.

“They’ve always said whether or not I was getting the awards or if I was going through the hard times trying to get them, that your hard work will always pay off. That’s always kind of stuck with me that, sooner than later, whatever you do will pay off. The long hours at 2 a.m., it will pay off.”

Reflecting on his journey, Nielsen encourages other students to take initiative early and seek out opportunities.

“A little bit of focused effort can take you a long way,” Nielsen said. “Don’t be afraid to reach out and put your name out there.”