Rhodes Scholarship Finalist

HONORS STUDENT MAKES HISTORY AS USF’S FIRST RHODES SCHOLARSHIP FINALIST

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, which ranked in the top 50 of all public universities in the 2022 U.S. News and World Report National University Rankings, has accomplished much in its first 65 years. One accolade that was missing, however, was being home to a Rhodes Scholarship finalist. That changed when Alexander Mercier became the first USF student to earn that honor.

Established by the will of Cecil Rhodes in 1903, “the Rhodes,” as it is simply called, is considered the most prestigious scholarship program for postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. Only 12 students are interviewed in each of 16 districts nationwide from a pool of nearly 800 high achieving applicants, each nominated by the presidents of their universities.

Mercier’s path to the Rhodes finalist recognition began when he was six years old and his mother began to suffer from a painful illness that initially stumped her doctors. After three years, she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, a likelihood initially dismissed because it is uncommon in his home state of California and throughout the western U.S.

The experience triggered in Mercier an interest in epidemiology, the study of disease, and eventually led him to focus some of his most prominent research at USF on preparing for the next pandemic.

An Honors student and double major in pure mathematics and microbiology who expects to graduate in 2022, Mercier considered both MIT and USF after completing an associate degree in mathematics through dual enrollment at St. Petersburg College. A conversation with Sayandeb Basu, director of USF’s Office of National Scholarships, helped him choose USF.

Basu was instrumental in helping Mercier connect with faculty researchers, including USF assistant professor and integrative biologist Andrew Kramer. Their work together helped shape Alex’s interest in network sparsification, a method that employs mathematics to more quickly identify important connections in the spread of disease. The research could accelerate containment of pandemics such as COVID-19.

“Alex aspires to pioneer new approaches to modeling disease spread by integrating data science, mathematics, biology and economics,” says Basu. “In summary, he uses mathematics for social good.” Both the Rhodes Trust and the UK Marshall Commission recognized the importance of his work, and he made USF history though his selection as a finalist in both competitions. Mercier was also recognized earlier in the year as a 2021 Goldwater Scholar, the most prestigious award in the country for excellence in undergraduate scientific research.

“Alexander embodies the University of South Florida’s commitment to providing our students with opportunities to perform cutting-edge research during their undergraduate experience,” says Ralph C. Wilcox, USF provost and executive vice president. In addition to his schoolwork, Mercier also has a special interest in helping America’s homeless. His portrait “Unfinished” (shown here) is that of a homeless man, and Mercier used his artistic talents to create a short 5-minute video “Drop-by-Drop” to highlight the challenges of Tampa’s homeless population as part of an Honors college class called “Compassionate Cities.”

“When you read the criteria for selection as a Rhodes finalist — outstanding intellect, character, leadership, and commitment to service — it is not surprising that Alexander was selected for this honor,” says Judy Genshaft Honors College Dean Charles Adams. “I look forward to seeing the positive impact that I know he will make in our world.”

- Dr. Sayandeb Basu