Michael Calzadilla (’15) and Shahriar Zamani (’18) did not cross paths when they were undergraduates at Â鶹ĘÓƵ (USF), but they shared common traits — passion for their disciplines, ambition to be leaders in their fields, and energy to build community. They also shared a common touchpoint, USF’s Office of National Scholars (ONS), where they found guidance and mentorship on their journeys. The two alumni are now hoping their stories will encourage a new generation of students to take advantage of the opportunities at ONS to envision, engage, and excel. 
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Galaxy
With career aspirations to be an astrophysicist, first-generation student Michael Calzadilla brought his passion for observational astronomy to the University of South Florida by proposing that the USF Department of Physics install a radio telescope on the rooftop of the Interdisciplinary Sciences building. Calzadilla wrote a Special Project Grant to USF’s College of Arts and Sciences to accomplish the project, and his leadership in the proposal is one of the reasons he was named a 2014 Barry Goldwater Scholar in recognition for his work on galactic astronomy.
Calzadilla was then selected as USF’s first Gates Cambridge Scholar in 2015 to pursue an MPhil in Astronomy, with a specialization in X-Ray astronomy at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge under the guidance of Professor Andrew Fabian. Though offered an extension by the Gates Trust to continue to a PhD at Cambridge, Calzadilla chose to return to the U.S. to join professor of physics Michael McDonald at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to study the evolution of galaxies and galaxy clusters, as well as the central supermassive blackholes they harbor to illuminate structure formation in the early universe. Calzadilla’s PhD was supported by the Fred Kavli Fellowship and later a NASA FINEEST Fellowship.
Calzadilla received his PhD in Astronomy from MIT in 2024. He is currently pursuing his postdoctoral studies as a NASA Hubble Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Calzadilla is adding a new dimension to his work on galaxy evolution by using modern machine learning algorithms to characterize thousands of galaxy clusters from next generation galaxy surveys.
Pioneering Early Cancer Detection
Zamani’s story begins in Iran, where he was raised before emigrating to the United States in high school. His mother, who founded a shelter for women and children at the height of the Iran-Iraq war, became his inspiration for serving others. During his time in Iran, Zamani observed high rates of gastrointestinal issues caused by consuming scalding hot tea, a common preference in the country, which sparked his interest in helping those affected.
Shortly after emigrating to the U.S., Zamani began his undergraduate studies at Hillsborough Community College. He received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship to begin his degree at USF’s College of Public Health (COPH) in his sophomore year. Plunging headfirst into every experience that COPH, USF, and the Judy Genshaft Honors College had to offer, he spearheaded efforts to bring more undergraduate participation in epidemiology research and the Public Health Student Association. He also raised funds for five undergraduates to represent the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program for the first time at the American Public Health Association annual conference in 2017.
Zamani later became president of the USF Bridge Clinic, which serves marginalized and low-income communities. There, he started the “Taxes at Bridge” initiative helping many file their tax returns so that they could invest their refunds towards better health. He also worked at the National Institute of Health as an Amgen Scholar, researching the dietary risks of cancer – which paved his way to working with NIH senior investigator Rebecca Fitzgerald, who became another mentor.
Through all of these experiences, Zamani returned to the issue that sparked his interest in medical research: Barrett’s Esophagus, a precursor to lung cancer caused by epithelial tissue damage from consuming scalding liquids and spicy food.
Over the summer of 2018, Zamani visited the Office of National Scholars to begin his work with Sayandeb Basu, director of ONS, on the NIH-Marshall and Gates Cambridge scholarships to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Cambridge Department of Oncology. He was named a double finalist for both the Marshall and Gates Cambridge scholarships, eventually being named a 2018 Gates Scholar.
At the University of Cambridge, Zamani researched the role of environmental, lifestyle, and genomic factors in the causes and outcomes of esophageal cancer. After completing his PhD, Zamani joined the National Cancer Institute as a postdoctoral scholar in their Radiation Epidemiology Branch, where he is currently studying inherited genetic variations and how they relate to the development of abnormal tissue growths after radiation treatment for childhood cancer.
Leaving a Legacy
Both Calzadilla and Zamani have set a precedent for USF students to pursue the most prestigious competitive awards, inspiring them to dream big and see themselves as contenders among the nation’s best and brightest.
Their accomplishments reflect the growing momentum at USF, driven in part by the dedicated efforts of ONS.
"It was my dream, and the dream of many others, to see our students become thought leaders at places like NCI and NASA and call USF their alma mater,” said Basu. “It is incredibly affirming to see that dream materialize.”
Students interested in prestigious graduate fellowships or STEM research opportunities should contact the Office of National Scholars to discuss their goals.