SLLC Persian Studies Student Recognized as 2023 Dean’s Senior Scholar

Nathan Boyle ’24 recognized for his academic excellence.

By SLLC Staff

Nathan Boyle ’24, who is participating in the Persian Flagship Program in the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, has been recognized as a College of Arts and Humanities 2023 Dean's Senior Scholar. Boyle is a double major in Persian studies and neuroscience, and is pursuing a minor in humanities, health, and medicine.

Each year, faculty nominate seniors who display exceptional academic excellence and scholarship for the Dean’s Senior Scholar Awards. Boyle strives to unite his interests in neuroscience, Persian language and culture, and global health through his coursework, extracurricular activities and internships. He received the prestigious 2021 Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Persian.

Associate Professor of Persian Studies Ali R. Abasi said Boyle is a “highly promising health scientist with a humanities sensibility.”

“He strongly believes that ‘doing science’ is a value-laden affair and his future work as a health scientist cannot be divorced from moral values,” Abasi wrote in a nominating letter.

Boyle is currently a research assistant at the Johns Hopkins Center for OCD, Anxiety, & Related Disorders for Children. He previously completed an internship at the Office of International Health and Biodefense at the U.S. State Department and was a research assistant in the Language Fluency Lab in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at UMD, among a number of other roles.  

He has also been involved with leadership and community engagement on campus since his freshman year as a member of the Student Government Association and as founder and president of Partners In Health Engage at UMD, which collaborated with other student organizations and university departments to support quality healthcare for people living in poverty.

Boyle is an avid cello player and recently performed a well-known Persian music piece on cello at the celebration of the Persian New Year at the NASA Goddard Center. 

He plans to become a clinical researcher working on innovative treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions that disproportionately impact the underserved. He also intends to apply for a Fulbright research award in Tajikistan to complete a project related to the mental health of returning immigrant workers from Russia to Tajikistan.

He thanked his “wonderful professors” who he said have provided support and mentorship. “It wouldn't have been possible without them.”