Khoa-Nathan Ngo is looking to pursue research, serve his community and make a national impact.

Ngo, a fourth-year psychology student, won one of 10 National Institutes of Health undergraduate scholarships offered nationwide in the 2025-26 cycle. Ngo is the first recipient from UCLA’s psychology department.

“Overwhelmingly, they (NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program awardees) come from biology, or one of those acronyms, MIMG, MCDB and so on,” he said. “So to be the first to come from our (psychology) department, again, it puts a lot of courage in me.”

NIH UGSP winners receive $20,000, participate in a 10-week summer internship program and are guaranteed a year-long research position with the NIH after completing their secondary education, Ngo said. He added that he gets to pick the NIH researcher he will work with, allowing him to participate in research he is passionate about.

Ngo – who attended Foothill Community College for three years before transferring to UCLA – said he is interested in studying how behavioral and psychological factors impact health outcomes by examining the intersection between social neuroscience and health psychology.

Ngo’s scholarship comes amid the federal government’s suspension of $584 million of UCLA’s research grants – including $500 million from the NIH – in late July. The federal government alleged in letters explaining the cuts that UCLA allowed antisemitism, illegal affirmative action and “men to participate in women’s sports.”

Rita F. Lin, a California federal district judge, ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore about 500 of UCLA’s frozen NIH research grants in September.

[Related: NIH temporarily reinstates suspended UCLA grants following federal judge decision]

General federal funding cuts to the NIH meant the agency offered about three fewer NIH UGSP scholarships this cycle.

Ngo said he credits the availability of scholarships and support from the Undergraduate Education Center for Scholarships and Scholar Enrichment at UCLA for his success.

“We have counselors in our office who are staffed by amazing graduate students who can help you with your search – help you find scholarships that are a good fit,” said Rebecca Blustein, the associate director of the CSSE.

Blustein added that UCLA students won more than $900,000 in external scholarships – which help students go to graduate school, study abroad and give back to their communities – in 2024.

Ngo said he plans to pursue a dual degree as a physician-scientist in the behavioral sciences after graduation.

A. Janet Tomiyama, a professor of psychology and one of Ngo’s mentors, said funding is imperative for students to become involved in research. Grant funding largely contributes to paying researchers, she added.

Psychology 100B – a required statistics course for psychology students – introduced Ngo to research methodologies, he said. The class taught Ngo how to understand research papers and use the scientific method, he added.

Tomiyama added that Ngo’s excitement about psychology impressed her.

“KN has a natural curiosity – scientific curiosity – that’s really hard to find,” Tomiyama said. “Many students will read the textbook and study for an exam, but somebody who truly wonders how the world works is unique.”

However, Tomiyama added that support for the NIH workforce can continue into the future by providing opportunities to undergraduate students.

“Something NIH does well is they really see their scientific workforce along a continuum,” she said. “They want people involved at the high school level, if possible, and get them all the way through a successful scientific career.”

Ngo said he often felt he could not find research programs that fit his interests in the behavioral sciences, with many typically being geared toward biomedical sciences. However, he added that he believes the NIH UGSP scholarship will allow him to pursue his passion for psychological research.

“One of the reasons why I was able to win was because I firmly believe that I was asking questions that no one else was, and that the path I was pursuing, while very unorthodox, was sorely needed,” Ngo said.