Computer Science PhD Student at UAlbany Earns Coveted NSF Fellowship
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 1, 2026) — Clark Mattoon, a promising PhD student in computer science at the University at Albany, has earned a coveted and highly competitive fellowship from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) supports “outstanding” graduate students who are pursuing degrees in STEM fields and “demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education.”
Mattoon, as an undergraduate and now as doctoral student in UAlbany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, is researching the problem of congestion among the many users of the radio spectrum, including wireless communication providers, meteorologists, astronomers and the U.S. government. That research takes place in the Ubiquitous Networking Lab of Associate Professor Mariya Zheleva — Mattoon’s faculty advisor.
Zheleva described her student as someone with a phenomenal growth mindset who takes nothing for granted and embraces the process of continuous discovery. What’s more, Mattoon is “willing to push and find related work, understand it and see how it fits to our problems,” said Zheleva. “Being able to do a lot of this independently so early — starting from late undergraduate into early PhD — that’s really a mindset that sets you up for a successful research career.”
This year, only 19% of the estimated 14,000 applicants for the GRFP earned the five-year fellowship, which provides a stipend and cost of education allowance in three of the five years. In an interview, Mattoon displays a clear passion for computer science, research and education.
What do you love about computer science and what first sparked your interest in it?
I love the creative problem-solving that’s so integral to it. The spark came in ninth grade. My stepfather told me a story about working at a travel agency where he manually copied travel booking information from emails into a database. One day he was able to write a script that automated a week’s worth of work into a single day. Having never programmed before, I was fascinated and intrigued by the possibility of such automation.
What’s the focus of your research and what are the goals?
The wireless spectrum is integral to applications like WiFi, cellular, radio astronomy, remote sensing and GPS. However, the spectrum is becoming crowded, which causes different spectrum users to step on each other’s toes. To handle this issue, disparate users must learn to share and coexist, which requires them to be aware of their neighbors. My work focuses on advancing spectrum awareness to facilitate reliable spectrum coexistence.
Your faculty advisor says you see the big picture while collecting data and show grace in giving and receiving help. Is that instinctual or something you developed with experience?
There is always a question to answer or goal to achieve when collecting data. It's challenging to formulate the question and identify what data will help answer it, however. This is a skill that I’m still actively developing. The grace when giving and receiving help is more instinctual.
The GRFP can open doors for you and create networks. How do you view it?
Receiving this award means that experts — in fields similar to mine — believe that I have the potential to make significant research contributions based on my prior achievements. This is slightly daunting because it can feel like the expectations are so high. On the other hand, it is encouraging that qualified people believe that I’m capable of having such an impact.
What led you to continue your research and studies at UAlbany?
I’ve lived in the Capital Region all my life and have quite a few ties to this area, so I wanted to stay local for my higher education. Initially, I attended the College of Saint Rose, but once it closed, I transferred to UAlbany and started undergraduate research with Mariya. I had a good experience working with her and became very interested in wireless research. So, I decided to continue in her lab once I entered graduate school. When I applied to the GRFP, I was already established in her lab and planned to continue my studies here regardless of the outcome of my application.
Did you always plan a career in education, and how has Mariya shaped that pursuit?
I have done a lot of tutoring over the years and always enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. Academia feels like a natural continuation of that passion. Additionally, the challenging problems found in research fascinate me, and I enjoy working on them. Mariya is a great advisor, and her wisdom is indispensable to my journey as a PhD student.