The Audio Engineering Society Educational Foundation announces recipients of its annual Scholarships and Grants for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Audio Engineering for the 2026/2027 academic year.
“Supported through generous contributions from industry partners, memorial endowments and individual benefactors, these annual awards recognize exceptional students pursuing careers in audio engineering, acoustics, recording, music production and related disciplines while helping them continue their education and research,” according to the announcement.
Since its establishment in 1984, the AES Educational Foundation has awarded grants and scholarships to hundreds of students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers throughout the professional audio industry.
“The AES Educational Foundation is proud to recognize the remarkable talent, dedication and creativity demonstrated by this year’s scholarship recipients,” says Jim Anderson, President of the AES Educational Foundation. “These students represent the future of our industry, and we are honored to help support their continued education and research. We congratulate each recipient and look forward to seeing the impact they will make throughout the audio community.”
AES Educational Foundation awards and their recipients for the 2026/2027 academic year:
The Garry Margolis Scholarship, which celebrates the life and career of longtime AES member Garry Margolis, was awarded to Samuel Brian Courtney, University of Miami.
The Nancy Flannery Memorial Scholarship, sponsored by WSDG, provides opportunities to women pursuing graduate-level studies in architectural acoustics and is presented to Yiping Han, University of York.
The Genelec Dr. Ilpo Martikainen Audio Visionary Scholarship, offered to U.S. graduate students with a passion for advancing audio through innovation and technology development, was given to Najla Silmi, University of Rochester.The Emil Torick Award, honoring former AES Foundation President and founding member Emil Torick, is presented to an outstanding student with exceptional career goals. This year’s award was given to Hilla Inbar, New York University.
The L-Acoustics Dr. Christian Heil Future of Sound Scholarship, presented to students demonstrating curiosity about and dedication to shaping the future of sound, was awarded this year to Facundo Franchino, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Genelec Mike Chafee Pioneering Scholarship, offered to passionate and outstanding women to continue their audio education, was awarded to Nancy Rico-Mineros, Stanford University (CCRMA).
The John Eargle Award, given to a student who excels in both technology and music, was presented to Kyosuke Sato, Tokyo University of the Arts.
The Olive Award for Excellence in Audio, granted annually to the student who demonstrates excellence in their scientific research and engineering of audio recording and reproduction, was presented to Alexander Akstens, Stanford University, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).
AES Educational Foundation Scholarship Grants
- Nelly Victoria Alexandra Garcia Sihuay, Queen Mary University of London
- Jiaxiang Zhang, McGill University
Additionally, two Undergraduate Scholarships were also awarded:
The Mary Lea Simpson Memorial Scholarship, which provides tuition assistance for the final year of studies to an undergraduate student entering senior year at a North American college or university audio engineering/recording arts program, was given to Armando Buendia, Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Puebla, Mexico.
The William “Bil” Thomas VornDick Memorial Scholarship, given to an undergraduate student pursuing careers in audio engineering and music production at an accredited program in Tennessee, was awarded to Nathaniel Dickson, Belmont University.
“The AES Educational Foundation also recognizes and thanks EAW and Eventide for their continued scholarship support, as well as the many companies, organizations, families and individual donors whose generosity helps make these educational opportunities possible,” the announcement concludes.
Additional information about the AES Educational Foundation and its scholarship programs is available at AESEducationalFoundation.org.
