About Us
Staff
Sayandeb Basu (He/Him)
Director
sayandeb@honors.usf.edu
Dr. Sayandeb Basu joined the Office of National Scholars (ONS) as its new director in May 2016 from the University of the Pacific in California, where he was faculty in Physics and the Honors College. Dr. Basu is a theoretical physicist and has published on quantum physics, and on the physics of black holes for more than a decade. He experienced a global education, including in India, at the University of Cambridge UK, and at the University of California, Davis, where he obtained his Ph.D. Dr. Basu's passion is nurturing students to become architects of their personal academic and professional goals. He had a successful stint at the University of the Pacific as the chief STEM liaison for the office of fellowships; He combined his love of culture, language, international study experience and mentoring skills to help foster the cause for a campus culture where faculty, students, and peers joined forces to make student success a habit rather than a cliché. At the University of South Florida, he brings this enthusiasm and commitment to the ONS, to make his office one of the key hubs of achievement and intellectual accomplishments for USF students.
Primary Advisor:
Goldwater Scholarship
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Internship in Science and Engineering
Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute Program (with Lauren Chambers)
Truman Scholarship
Prestigious UK Graduate Scholarships (Rhodes, Marshall, Gates Cambridge)
Lauren Chambers (She/Her)
Associate Director
lschumac@honors.usf.edu
Ms. Chambers joined the Honors College in 2008, and the Office of National Scholars
in 2011. She is currently the Associate Director of the Office of National Scholars
(ONS), and the Fulbright Program Advisor (FPA) for USF. Ms. Chambers has lived in
the Tampa Bay area for over 20 years and received her bachelor's degree in Public
Relations and master's degree in Public Health from the University of Florida. She
is a member of the National Association of Fellowships Advisors (NAFA) and has presented
at NAFA conferences on the connection between appreciative advising and fellowships
advising. Ms. Chambers published an article in the Journal of Appreciative Education
titled "The Subtleties of Appreciative Advising: Expanding Practices Beyond the Conversation."
Primary Advisor:
Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Fulbright U.K. Summer Institute Program (with Dr. Sayandeb Basu)
Boren Awards
Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
Florida Gubernatorial Fellowship Program
Lauren Roberts (She/Her)
Assistant Director
robertsl1@honors.usf.edu
Ms. Roberts joined ONS in October 2017. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and
Biology from Denison University and a graduate degree in Education with a concentration
in College Student Affairs from University of South Florida. She participated in a
wildlife management study abroad program in Kenya and Tanzania as an undergraduate
student, which fueled her desire to work with both study abroad and experiential learning
in environmental fields. Lauren is eager to help students have experiences that serve
as a catalyst for further opportunities.
Primary Advisor:
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
Freeman-ASIA
Fund for Education Abroad
Critical Language Scholarship
Hollings Scholarship
Brett Brattvet (He/Him)
Student Engagement Coordinator
brett23@usf.edu
Mr. Brattvet joined ONS in July 2023. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology
from the University of Florida with minors in Sociology of Public Policy and Innovation.
He participated in a legislative internship in Washington D.C. as an undergraduate,
which fuels his work with both study away and national scholarships that propel students
into public service careers. As a first-generation college graduate, Brett is excited
to connect students to experiences they might have never believed possible.
Primary Advisor:
Introductory Appointments
Millennium Fellowship
Campus Outreach