University of Chicago students Logan Hanssler and Elijah Jenkins, both fourth-years in the College, have been selected as 2026 Marshall Scholars. Each will be provided the opportunity to study in their chosen fields for two years at any university in the United Kingdom.
Founded in 1953, the Marshall Scholarship aims to honor the unique bond forged between the U.K. and the United States through the Marshall Plan. Scholars are chosen based on their leadership, ambassadorial potential and academic achievement with the goal of using the skills they learn while immersing themselves in the United Kingdom to impact others’ lives across the globe.
Logan Hanssler
Few people consider how information from space gets down to Earth, but that isn’t the case with Logan Hanssler. The Buffalo Grove, Ill., native hopes he can help develop the future of space-to-ground data transmission and the Marshall Scholarship will allow him to achieve his goals.
“Today, almost every satellite uses radio frequency transmission to send data to operators on Earth. This forms a really big bottleneck in space operations,” said Hanssler. “Spacecraft are currently discarding data in space because radio frequency technology leaves us unable to transmit everything we collect. I believe laser communication is the most promising method to improve this issue.”
Currently double-majoring in molecular engineering and astrophysics, Hanssler created his own academic path at UChicago to help him focus on this very issue. This included co-founding the CubeSat Laboratory and creating the Polarization-modUlated Laser Satellite Experiment (PULSE-A) program, which was selected to receive funding from NASA. He believes these factors helped him receive the “opportunity of a lifetime” with the Marshall Scholarship.
“I thought that this program was a one in a million dream but now it’s going to help me do the research that I hope to lead throughout my career,” he said.
Hanssler will pursue a master’s degree in optics and photonics at Imperial College London before studying at Durham University, where he intends to obtain a master’s by research in physics.
“This is unique research for me to be doing as a graduate student and the biggest reason for me pursuing this is the opportunity to study in the U.K.,” said Hanssler. “I’ll be able to work on characterizing atmospheric turbulence to make sure that we’re getting signals through as cleanly as possible from space using adaptive optics in telescopes or receivers.”
Hanssler says understanding this turbulence—and developing a signal from space that can cut through bad weather or varying temperature and pressure—is the next step in advancing this technology. However, he is also preparing for the future by inspiring the next generation of scientists who will advance space research and engineering.
During high school, Hanssler participated in the Space Settlement Design Competitions, an early education program hosted by Aerospace Education Competitions that challenges students to envision and design space settlement projects. He has volunteered for the organization ever since. He said that creating new technologies to advance science and space exploration must involve bright minds around the world.
“I truly believe that international partnership is so important to the future of space research,” he said. “So, by working for organizations like this, you can get students connected with people that can help grow the space industry in not only the United States and the U.K., but across the globe throughout their entire careers.”
Elijah Jenkins
Raised in Chandler, Ariz., but with family ties in Toto, Guam, Elijah Jenkins has seen how policy is made without input from those who are impacted most.
“I saw early on how decisions about the Pacific were being made far from the people who would live with the consequences,” he said. “When I heard stories about militarization, land loss and political marginalization, it was impossible to ignore how uneven those relationships were. For me and my future, I want to recreate structures where Pacific nations and territories can speak for themselves and set the terms of their own political futures.”
As the first CHamoru—the indigenous people of the islands that include Guam—believed to receive the Marshall Scholarship, Jenkins is still trying to wrap his mind around the opportunity that has been provided to him.
“The idea that I’ll now study at Oxford [University] and Cambridge [University] is still something I’m getting used to,” said Jenkins who is double-majoring in law, letters, and society and race diaspora and indigenity to go along with a masters in international relations. “At the same time, it tells me that the vision I have for the Pacific is one the British government sees as worth investing in, which strengthens my commitment to carry this work forward with the seriousness it deserves.”
His Pacific-focused work began in earnest during his second year, after he spotted a book about Guam on a table outside an office. This led Jenkins to join Prof. Anjli Parrin’s Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School and ultimately pursue two internships with the U.S. Department of State.
“It was the first time I did formal research tied directly to the Pacific, and it helped me understand how law, sovereignty and everyday life on the island are deeply connected,” Jenkins said. “Across all these experiences, I’ve tried to bring Pacific perspectives into spaces where decisions and narratives are often shaped without them.”
These experiences, along with other formative classes that Jenkins has taken, helped him develop his BA/MA thesis, which examines how CHamoru, Filipino and mixed-heritage youth imagine Guam’s political future. Jenkins’ purpose-driven efforts have allowed him to take a global issue and make it “feel very close to home.”
Twice elected president of UChicago’s Undergraduate Student Government, Jenkins plans to pursue a master of studies degree in global and imperial history at Oxford during the first year of the program, followed by a master’s of philosophy in development studies at Cambridge. He hopes these two degrees will expand his perspective on how to give Pacific nations more power over their own futures.
“Taken together, the historical depth, comparative training and policy engagement across both programs will strengthen my ability to serve Pacific communities.”
Hanssler and Jenkins were supported by the Office of National Fellowships in the College Center for Research and Fellowships, which guides candidates through rigorous application processes and interview preparation for nationally competitive awards like the Marshall Scholarship. The Center’s team helps students identify and articulate how their unique talents and distinctive paths prepare them to realize a better world.
Additional support is provided by the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarship faculty nomination committee, whose ongoing service is a critical part of student success at the national level.
—Adapted from an article posted on the UChicago College website.
