Two Harvard Economics Concentrators Earn Prestigious International Scholarships
The Harvard University Department of Economics congratulates two concentrators on receiving highly competitive international scholarships.
Jiajie “Angel” Zhang ’26 has been named a Schwarzman Scholar. A senior at Harvard University studying Integrative Biology and Economics, Zhang will attend a one-year, fully funded master’s program in global affairs at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.
Zhang is passionate about human–nature coexistence and plans to use her time in the program to explore how Chinese border provinces navigate conflicts between humans and wildlife, as well as how China finances climate-related initiatives.
Founded in 2015 by Stephen A. Schwarzman, the Schwarzman Scholars program selects up to 200 students each year for a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University. Inspired by the Rhodes Scholarship, the highly selective fellowship brings students from around the world to study and immerse themselves in Chinese culture while preparing to address global challenges and strengthen international understanding.
The program received a record 5,800+ applications for the Class of 2026–27. Its global network now includes more than 1,500 alumni from 107 countries and 490 institutions who are leading across industries and working on major global challenges.
Mukta Dharmapurikar ’26 has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholarship recipient. Also a senior at Harvard University, Dharmapurikar is concentrating in Economics and Environmental Science & Engineering. As a Gates Cambridge Scholar, she will pursue a fully funded postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge next year. She plans to earn an MPhil in Environmental Policy, focusing on industrial policies that accelerate green manufacturing innovation and support emerging clean technology markets.
Each year the Gates Cambridge program awards approximately 80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the United Kingdom to pursue postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge. Around two-thirds of these awards support PhD students, with about 25 scholarships awarded in the U.S. round and 55 in the international round.
The Gates Cambridge mission is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others by selecting outstanding scholars and supporting them during their studies at Cambridge and beyond. The scholarship program was established in 2000 following a historic $210 million donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. Since the first class arrived in 2001, the program has awarded more than 2,000 scholarships to scholars from over 100 countries.