AHMED '17

November 20, 2016

Cornell Senior Awarded Rhodes Scholarship

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Cornell biology major Ahmed M. Ahmed ’17 was named one of this year’s Rhodes Scholars, the Rhodes Trust announced Saturday.

Every year, 32 U.S. students are selected as Rhodes Scholars and can pursue degrees at the University of Oxford with full financial support from the Rhodes Trust.

Ahmed — whose family came to the United States from a refugee camp in Kenya — is a first-generation Somali immigrant, according to the announcement.

Ahmed currently conducts research on producing polyolefins in the laboratory of Prof. Geoff Coates, chemistry and chemical biology. He also serves as biology student advisor, biochemistry teaching assistant and general and organic chemistry tutor at the Learning Strategies Center.

As a member of Students Working Ambitiously to Graduate, Ahmed also mentors African American students at Cornell.

Ahmed received an award for his work as a teaching assistant in 2015, according to his LinkedIn page. The student also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for two spring breaks and as an EMT on Cornell’s Emergency Management Services.

At Oxford, Ahmed plans to work toward a master’s degree in research in organic and medical chemistry, the announcement said. Afterward, he hopes to attend medical school and pursue a career in academic medicine, according to the Office of Undergraduate Biology website.