Lucy Leary named Fulbright Semi-Finalist

Lucy Leary The Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships (ONCS) is proud to announce that five University of Utah students have been selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this nationally competitive program supports academic exchanges between the U.S. and over 140 countries around the world. Selected program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or serve as English Teaching Assistants abroad. For additional information, see us.fulbrightonline.org.

For the 2025-2026 Fulbright application cycle, the U had 15 Fulbright applicants, which resulted in five semi-finalists. The U’s semi-finalist cohort represents four colleges, including the College of Education, College of Humanities, College of Science and the Honors College. The group includes one student who intends to enter a graduate program, one student who proposed a dissertation research project and three students who aim to serve as English Teaching Assistants. Projected countries for their Fulbright experiences include Germany, Italy, South Korea and Vietnam.

Featured here is the semi-finalist who calls the Department of Mathematics home:

Lucy Jo Leary will be graduating this spring (2026) with an honors Bachelor of Science in mathematics. She plans to pursue a M.Sc. mathematics degree with a specialization in biomathematics and biostatistics at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

She currently works in the Reimer theoretical and quantitative ecology lab where her interest in mathematical ecology has led her to studying the effects of power law noise on ecological long transient dynamics. She has always found math to be fun. "I love the department at the University of Utah!" she says.

"I love how much freedom math students have to explore new topics and to grow in all kinds of different directions."

Originally from Logan, Utah, Leary is the recipient of several scholarships from the math department and the College of Science. Her application to be a Churchill Scholar was also endorsed by the U. In her spare time she plays competitive Ultimate (formerly known as ultimate frisbee), a fast-pace, 7-0n-7, non-contact team sort played with a flying disc on a field with end zones that combines elements of soccer, football, and basketball.

Not only does she play ultimate for the U but for the women's professional team, the Utah WILD.

Adapted from a College of Science article by David Pace.