Princeton senior Brian Mhando awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Princeton University senior Brian Mhando has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The awards recognize students for “outstanding intellectual ability,” “leadership potential” and “a commitment to improving the lives of others,” among other criteria. They cover the full cost of a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge.

Mhando is among 26 U.S. winners of the scholarship who will join the 2026 cohort. Winners from other countries will be announced later as part of an international cohort.

Mhando is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) and minoring in African studies, African American studies, and global health and health policy. He plans to pursue an MPhil in veterinary science at Cambridge in preparation for a career as an epidemiologist, with an initial focus on village health systems in East Africa. (At Cambridge, some epidemiologists researching human disease are based in the veterinary science department.) Later, he plans to pursue a Ph.D.