CS undergrad Marcus Gozon named Goldwater Scholar

University of Michigan undergraduate student Marcus Gozon has received the Goldwater Scholarship, a national award meant to support highly qualified students who intend to pursue a PhD in a STEM discipline. Awarded to 508 students nationwide and just three students at U-M in 2024, the Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious honors for undergraduate STEM students. 

Marcus is a rising senior majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics and has already accumulated a wealth of research experience during his time at U-M. In summer 2023, he participated in a summer research program with the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) at Rutgers University, where his project involved designing algorithms and complexity lower bounds for motion-planning problems in robotics. He also participated in the U-M Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) in 2023, working on  a project examining machine learning reconstruction attacks in medical contexts.

In addition to his robust research background, Marcus has participated in several student organizations and competitions. In Fall 2023, he represented U-M at the East Central North American Regional competition of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). He has also helped organize and write problems for the Michigan Math Meet, a regional mathematics competition for high school students, and he is helping organize another competition around combinatorics and algorithms. 

As a Goldwater Scholar, Marcus will receive $7,500 to support his last year of undergraduate study at U-M. After graduating, he plans to pursue a PhD in theoretical computer science or mathematics with an eye toward a research career in academia or industry.