NSF GRFP & PhD Application Help

Hi! My name is Katya Koulakova, and I am a neurobiology & behavior PhD student at Cornell and a 2026 NSF Graduate Research Fellow. My path here was anything but linear: applied physics, an engineering job, and several years as a neuroscience research assistant at NYU before I entered a PhD program. What all those applications taught me is that the rules for compiling them are almost never stated. Through mothwick, I make these rules explicit — so you can spend your time on the application itself rather than decoding it.

Contact me at katya@mothwick.com

Writing your statements on iteration & organizing drafts of your writing

GRFP application materials

My own funded 2026 NSF GRFP essays, shared as samples.

2026 GRFP Sample StatementsPersonal & Research statements

Planning your application selecting a lab for your research proposal & organizing your application
Requesting recommendation letters how to reach out to your recommenders

Graduate school application materials

The statements from my own successful PhD application, shared as samples.

2025 Neuroscience PhD Sample StatementsAcademic & Personal statements