Princeton Grad Student Awarded Prestigious International Fellowship

PRINCETON, NJ — A 2026 Princeton University graduate student is part of the first class of fellows selected for a new French-American academic program.

Braeden Carroll, a senior 2026 undergraduate at Princeton majoring in civil and environmental engineering, was chosen for the Lafayette Fellowship.

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The fellowship, offered by Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, enables 30 American post-graduate students to pursue a fully funded, one-year master's program at a leading French university or grande école.

Carroll will attend École polytechnique for a master's in Energy Environment Science Technology and Management.

Carroll's Princeton thesis investigates the structural resistance of heritage timber buildings.

Villa Albertine also says Carroll's academic interests include sustainable energy, economics, and public policy, and that he is a member of the varsity men's lightweight rowing team.

The fellowship was established in September 2025 under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic to mark the 250th anniversary of French-American friendship.

It is offered by Villa Albertine in partnership with France Science, with support from Albertine Foundation.

This year's fellows were selected through what the program described as a rigorous national process chaired by Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Esther Duflo.

The incoming class was chosen from 3,400 applications. Program materials say the 30 fellows will study across STEM, the humanities, social sciences and the arts.

Mohamed Bouabdallah, Cultural Counselor of France in the United States and Director of Villa Albertine, said, "By giving exceptional young Americans the opportunity to study, live, and build lasting ties in France, we are creating a powerful community of future leaders who will shape the next chapter of transatlantic cooperation."

Carroll said, "The Lafayette Fellowship marks a step forward from undergraduate study and the opportunity to engage and collaborate with leaders in the global push for a sustainable future. I am excited to join an incredible cohort of Fellows alongside whom I will connect my American perspectives with my experiences in France."

Fellows will be welcomed in Paris on July 4, before beginning a summer leadership program across Paris, Avignon, Arles and Marseille.

The leadership program is scheduled to continue in Strasbourg in December and in the Paris region in spring 2027. Applications for the 2027 program are set to open Sept. 4, and close Dec. 1.