Navila Azad - Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Semifinalist

DUNWOODY, Ga. — Navila Azad, born and raised in Hartlepool, United Kingdom, moved to three different countries before landing in the United States. Her family is originally from Bangladesh, and she is now a student at the Dunwoody Campus of Georgia State University Perimeter College. Azad is a semifinalist for the 2026 Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship.

Her pathway at Perimeter is physics, and she was recently awarded the prestigious Perimeter STAR Award for physics. She was also recently honored during Perimeter's STEM Student Scholars Awards Program. She was named a STEM Scholar in physics as well as the Sophomore Scholar of Excellence in physics during the STEM Awards.

When asked what it would mean to her if she won the Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, she replied that “It would mean that I could pursue a four-year degree without any financial burden on my family.”

What has been the best aspect of attending Perimeter College?
I like the closeness with professors at Perimeter. I met some of my most favorite professors here who provided me with amazing opportunities for my desired field. If it weren’t for Dr. Dunn and Dr. Yenerall, I don’t think I would have the means to pursue research in the future and be a confident student in astrophysics.

What’s next for you?
I hope to pursue my bachelor’s degree in physics at Barnard College, Brown University, Yale or Stanford. I think these institutions have amazing research capabilities and great prospects for my end goal. I intend to go to graduate school for a Ph.D. in high-energy physics.

What are your career goals?
My career goals lie in becoming a life-long researcher in astrophysics and particle physics. I would love to work at CERN or IceCube to pursue research in neutrino physics and apply it to astrophysics. I want to write my thesis on neutrino activity in quasars and its implications in physics.

What motivates you to keep moving forward with your academic and career journey?
My greatest motivation is representation. I want to be a face for Bengali women to know that it is possible to become a physicist even with a lack of diversity in this field. I grew up with strong women. My cousins were much older than me. All of them have become big names in science, engineering and finance. This made me understand that having external influence and inspirations are important. Without it, I don’t think I would have the confidence to pursue astrophysics.

What experiences shaped who you are today and where you want to go with your career?
My first ever experience with research was when I was in Year 6 in England. I had the opportunity to go to Durham University for hemoglobin research and write a mock research paper for my lab work with smoking and its effects on hemoglobin. I was intrigued; I wanted to pursue more research no matter what. Durham University is also my first contact with an observatory. I absolutely loved the idea of observing stars and planets. High school is where I learned physics is fun through the Van de Graaff generator. Perimeter College is where I combined my love for research and physics with many opportunities to pursue coursework and research in astrophysics.

How have you overcome challenges and experienced growth?
I have faced many challenges across my life, with the majority of them reminding me that life is fleeting. I grew up in a small town in northeast England with very little space for academic endeavors. I don’t wait for opportunities anymore; either I pursue opportunities through networking or I create them myself.

What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time at Perimeter?
My biggest accomplishment at Perimeter is my research on absorption outflow in active galactic nuclei. I am currently writing a paper with Dr. Jay Dunn to submit to the Georgia Journal of Science; it’s like a dream come true. I had the opportunity to present my research at Emory University in November of 2025. I was the only Perimeter College student to do so for that year! Given this, I was nominated by Perimeter College for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship as well.

I have accomplished many other things like hosting multiple observation nights at the Dunwoody Observatory with S.P.A.C.E. Club. Becoming the vice president of observation for this club allowed me to work with instrumentation closer, which also landed me my internship with Fernbank Science Center as the planetarium assistant. I have also rebooted the Phi Theta Kappa honor society for Perimeter College and now serve as the president of the Alpha Zeta Mu chapter.

Perimeter College has been home to an impressive number of recipients of the national Jack Kent Cooke (JKC) Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. Since 2002, 30 Perimeter students have received the competitive award from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, which offers each winner up to $55,000 per year for up to three years. It’s the country’s largest private scholarship for two-year and community college transfer students. Perimeter JKC winners have succeeded in bachelor’s degree programs (and beyond) at Georgia State University and other prominent institutions such as Yale, Georgia Tech, MIT, Emory University, Howard University, University of Southern California, Stanford University and Agnes Scott College.