December 9, 2025
National and Global Scholarships Advising at Oregon State University is thrilled to announce that Giulia Wood has been named a 2026 Marshall Scholar, the first in OSU history. Giulia is one of 43 students from across the U.S. to receive the honor. As a Marshall Scholar, she will pursue a PhD in Marine Sciences at the University of Liverpool where she will investigate Antarctic krill physiology and their role in biogeochemical cycling in the Southern Ocean.
Originally from Fidalgo Island in Washington state, Giulia Wood became captivated by krill after joining Dr. Kim Bernard’s KrillSeeker Lab as an undergraduate at OSU. She has since studied krill around the world and is particularly interested in how krill populations are affected by climate change-driven shifts in their ocean environment.
She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences at OSU as part of the KrillSeeker Lab. Her research focuses on how environmental conditions affect krill physiology and their quality as prey for resident blue whales in New Zealand and is part of a collaborative project (SAPPHIRE) funded by the National Science Foundation.
Giulia also received two OSU Honors Bachelors of Science degrees in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Studio Art in 2023. As an undergraduate, Giulia overwintered for five months in Antarctica as part of a research team studying juvenile Antarctic krill. She also began research examining how krill species in the southeastern Bering Sea respond to changes in environmental conditions which she presented at the 7th International Zooplankton Production Symposium in Hobart, Tasmania in 2024.
While not in the lab, Giulia is an active member of the graduate student community at OSU, serving as a steward for the graduate student union and on the Together for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Support committee for the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Association of Graduate Students. Giulia is also engaged in the arts, singing in a community choir and working in many different mediums, from printmaking to sculpture to fiber arts. While originally a creative outlet, Giulia now uses her art as a way to explore her research experiences and she is passionate about using the arts as a way to communicate science to a wider audience.
About the Marshall Scholarship
Named in honor of Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the Marshall Scholarship Program started in 1953 as a gesture of gratitude for the assistance the UK received from the United States after World War II under the Marshall Plan. The scholarship program gives American college students the chance to study any academic subject at UK universities of their choice for up to three years. Read more about the 2026 Marshall Scholars.
Giulia applied for the Marshall scholarship with assistance from OSU’s National and Global Scholarships Advising office. OSU juniors, graduating seniors, alumni and graduate students interested in applying for the Marshall Scholarship should contact LeAnn Adam, Director, National and Global Scholarships Advising and visit Oregon State University National and Global Scholarships Advising.
Related Stories
