Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveIndian American researcher, Harsh Patel, is developing advanced treatment methods for alternative water supplies

Indian American researcher, Harsh Patel, is developing advanced treatment methods for alternative water supplies

Written by: Team GI Youth

(April 15, 2023) The demand for water and energy is increasing at an unprecedented rate across the globe. Driven by steep population growth, urbanisation, and industrialisation, this increase in the demand has serious implications for the environment, as well as for economic development and social stability. While the world leaders are yet to find a solution for this urgent issue, a young Indian American researcher has come up with a potential solution for the rising water and energy demands.

A Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Harsh Patel is working on establishing novel low water content membranes, which are capable of selectively removing targeted ions from aqueous solutions like seawater, groundwater, and brines. The young researcher recently received the prestigious American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and United States Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology, along with a cash prize of $11,750. “I am extremely pleased to have received this honour,” the researcher said, “Especially knowing that successful work in this area will have direct implications on global problems like water scarcity as well as technologies needed to implement the research at a larger scale.”

For a noble cause

A curious kid, Harsh felt quite strongly about the water shortage issues faced by various parts of the world, since he was in the school. While he did work on several small ideas to save water at a local level, it was during his graduation years that the idea of developing a low water content membrane system that could distill even seawater. After finishing his school, the young researcher went on to obtain a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and later joined the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, for his Ph.D.

Researcher | Harsh Patel | Global Indian

Harsh’s experiment showing differences in ion selectivity in varying water content membranes

Harsh’s work investigates establishing novel next-generation ion-exchange membranes (IEMs) capable of selectively removing targeted ions from aqueous solutions to meet the rising water and energy demands. The results of this research will allow the discovery of design parameters to synthesise desirable IEMs for various ion separation applications which are critical for industrial applications such as lithium extraction, water softening, and nitrate recovery.

Explaining about his innovation, the Global Indian said, “IEMs are polymeric materials that possess charged functional groups on the polymer and can facilitate the transportation of counter-ions, while effectively rejecting co-ions. Most commercial IEMs cannot efficiently discriminate between different counterions, which hinders the effective isolation of lithium or nitrate as the solutions containing these two species possess other monovalent and divalent ions in high concentrations.”

Harsh, after receiving the AMTA and Bureau of Reclamation Fellowship for Membrane Technology

His research, however, will be crucial for the advanced treatment of alternative water supplies. “My research will have significant potential to reduce the cost, energy, and environmental impact of advanced treatment of recycling waste water and seawater that would offer clean, safe, abundant, and cost-effective water supplies in arid western states and across the globe.” The researcher’s work is currently revolving around synthesising inexpensive IEMs with controlled water content and charge density over broad ranges, creating opportunities to tune ion selectivity by exploring molecular-level phenomena that affect the competitive ion transport in IEMs.

Harsh is also a part of the University-funded Kamcev Lab, a research group that aims to develop next-generation polymeric materials for water treatment and energy generation and storage applications.

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Published on 15, Apr 2023

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Prerana Manoj: Honoured among Canada’s Top 100 Women for STEM innovation

(May 29, 2024) Emphasising the meaning of her name, which reflects her purpose, she explains, “Prerana translates to 'inspiration' in Sanskrit, and it summarises my mission - to be inspired and to inspire others.” True to her name, she is an inspiration to girls in STEM and AI innovation. The Thrissur native was named one of the ‘Top 100 Women in Canada’ in 2023 by the Women’s Executive Network of Canada. “At 16, I was the youngest of the 2023 winners. I was privileged enough to meet with the honourable Princess Sarah Culberson of Sierra Leone at the award ceremony, and I shared my journey of innovation with her,” Prerana tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_38019" align="aligncenter" width="492"] Prerana Manoj with Top 100 Women in Canada Award[/caption] With one of her best friends, Diane Gui, Prerana is co-developing Project HeartScope, a collection of machine learning models designed for the accurate and efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. “We were also privileged and grateful to have received the opportunity to share our project and vision as finalists of Team Canada for the global competition, Technovation Girls. We presented it on the grand stage at Synopsys, San Francisco, alongside teams from India,

ght: 400;">With one of her best friends, Diane Gui, Prerana is co-developing Project HeartScope, a collection of machine learning models designed for the accurate and efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. “We were also privileged and grateful to have received the opportunity to share our project and vision as finalists of Team Canada for the global competition, Technovation Girls. We presented it on the grand stage at Synopsys, San Francisco, alongside teams from India, Brazil, Uzbekistan, and others,” she shares. The project was selected for the Technovation Girls Global Competition 2023 in San Francisco from over 2,000 teams.

Project HeartScope

When Prerana moved to Toronto with her parents, the city’s vibrant atmosphere reminded her of her native Bengaluru. This move played an integral role in developing her fascination with STEM and other fields. “In Toronto, I developed a growing interest in business and technology and learned about transformational emerging technologies such as AI, which have significant potential to make waves in industries worldwide,” she shares.

In the new city, she made friends with Diane and learned about health leader Osei Kwadbo Boateng and his non-profit, The OKB Hope Foundation. The foundation works towards providing healthcare services for underserved communities. Inspired by his passionate work, the friends became interested in finding ways to build tech-based solutions for low-income communities.

[caption id="attachment_38020" align="aligncenter" width="752"] Prerana Manoj with Project HeartScope cofounder Diane Gui[/caption]

Soon, they founded Project HeartScope for efficient diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. “Currently, the model is capable of diagnosing cardiomegaly using binary classification and transfer learning techniques,” shares Prerana adding, “Project HeartScope has been featured at the Johns Hopkins Global Health Conference as well”.

Realising the increasing gap in experts in the healthcare industry, especially for cardiologists, Prerana and Diane wanted to experiment to see whether they could develop a model that could detect the presence of cardiomegaly (a heart condition) based on X-ray scan images. “Although still a work in progress for accuracy and general development, as beginners in the area of Artificial Intelligence, we found our small wins to be significant milestones in the greater journey ahead,” Prerana remarks.

Research work at Ontario Tech University

Earlier in 2023, Prerana joined the EILab at Ontario Tech University under the supervision of Dr Roland VanOostveen to work on a specialised research project to analyse the affective domain in the online learning environment.

“I worked on coding analyses of online discussions and deciphering the relations and connections between various forms of body language, facial expressions, and gestures to provide greater insight into online learning experiences. The paper is currently being submitted and will be published soon,” she says.

[caption id="attachment_38025" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Prerana and Diane presenting Project HeartScope at TikTok Office for Canada Learning Code's Demo Day Challenge[/caption]

Laurels in STEM

Prerana has always been full of ideas and dedicated to turning them into reality for the good of society. In 2021 the youngster was given the opportunity to present her start-up idea, the P. A Shield, aimed at improving water conservation efforts in Canadian households at Dragons Den (a reality TV show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business concepts and products to a panel of Canadian business moguls). At the end of her pitch, she received a shared investment of $25K from the investors.

“My inspiration for the P. A Shield came from learning about the water crisis in grade 7 geography. I realised that although spreading awareness is very important, taking action can lead to active results. As a 13-year-old with little experience in technology or business, I joined a start-up accelerator for high school students called Start-up Dojo to learn about how to start my own idea,” she shares.

[caption id="attachment_38024" align="aligncenter" width="758"] Prerana Manoj at the Dragons Den platform[/caption]

After experimenting with circuits and learning about business along the way, she got encouraged to apply her idea to Dragons Den. “Although it took quite a bit of motivation, I realised that there was no harm in sharing my idea and so I submitted it. I remembered being shocked to hear back for an interview for stage two, and ultimately receiving the offer to pitch. It was truly a surreal moment, and I will be forever grateful to the wonderful producers, staff and the Dragons for making it a transformative experience in my journey of innovation. At 14, receiving an offer on the grand stage is a moment I can never forget,” she says.Although Prerana’s passion for the water crisis persists, she decided not to pursue the deal channelling all her focus on emerging technologies such as AI and immersing herself in new opportunities of innovation that come her way.

From Bengaluru to Canada

Prerna did her schooling from Bengaluru. “The city along with my homeplace, Thrissur, Kerala, has profoundly shaped my identity and who I am today,” she mentions.

Prerna moved to Calgary, Canada as a grade three student when her parents went there for work. In Calgary, she was exposed to a new culture and later discovered a passion for chess, debate, and public speaking. “I spent most of my middle school years attending summer stampedes and ice skating during the winter in Lake Louis, Banff. As life was settling in, along came an opportunity to journey further eastward to Canada’s largest city and growing start-up hub, Toronto,” she tells.

[caption id="attachment_38021" align="aligncenter" width="507"] Prerana Manoj with Princess Sarah Culberson of Sierra Leone at the WXN event[/caption]

Currently a junior at Bishop Allen Academy, Etobicoke, the teenager aspires to make a positive impact on those around her. “I'll go where my journey takes me, and I hope to make a difference for each milestone I achieve,” she signs off.

Wearing multiple hats

In her free time, Prerana usually plays chess. “It's been my favourite hobby since I was eight. I also enjoy writing,” she says. Prerana is associated as a managing director of personal growth with an online publication - The Teen Magazine founded by Harvard alum, Mia Johansson. She also runs her own newsletter, 'I am Prerana'.

“Honestly, when it comes to managing my school work and projects, I usually prioritise based on the time of the year. Junior year hasn't been the kindest in giving me free time, but my weekends usually lend those hours to me,” she signs off.

[caption id="attachment_38026" align="aligncenter" width="537"] Prerana Manoj during an edge walk[/caption]

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For a better tomorrow: Three Indian teenagers in the ’21 revolutionary youth’ list

(January 18, 2023) The last few years have seen several Indian-origin teenagers emerge as leaders of tomorrow. From environment to technology, and even politics, these teenagers are super focussed on coming up with viable solutions for various problems the world is facing. Global Indian takes a look at the journey and contributions of three Indian-origin teenagers, who have been named among Teen Vogue’s annual 21 Under 21 list of “changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in both their communities and the world.” Sridevi Krothapalli It was her parents who first influenced her to dive into the world of coding, however as she grew up her interest moved toward astrophysics and cosmology. Only 17, Sridevi Krothapalli was selected to attend the Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics hosted by the Stanford Physics Department and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology. Always willing to go that extra mile to help people, the teenager started working as a student tutor at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, to improve students' mathematics, science, and English skills, and prepare those interested in attending the Academy for the application process. "By applying coding skills

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Always willing to go that extra mile to help people, the teenager started working as a student tutor at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, to improve students' mathematics, science, and English skills, and prepare those interested in attending the Academy for the application process. "By applying coding skills to physics-based projects in environmental engineering and tutoring other students in physics-oriented topics in my community, I realised my ambition to break the gender gap in the field of physics and mathematics,” she told Teen Vogue, adding, "I hope to pursue making scientific discoveries that will better the lives of others all over the world.”

However, this teenager is not only a physics pro. Her talents in art and literature have helped her to dedicate her time to other causes as well. She is the founding president of the non-profit, Kahani, which distributes literary and art magazines to children's hospitals around the world. The teenager's work might seem complex, but for her “kindness and love have been a guiding force to speak what comes to heart and incite positive change.”

Shiva Rajbhandari

A climate change leader, activist, and prolific writer - this 18-year-old teenager is all that, and much more. As a young boy, Shiva Rajbhandari would listen to his father quite intently talking about the climate crisis and how deforestation has affected tribal lives. And it wasn't long after that the teenager started running various campaigns against climate change, gun violence, and various other issues that plague society today. "As I grew in my activism, I began working for tribal justice, voting rights, and gun violence prevention,” Shiva, who started off working in climate activism, said, adding, "After a two-year long campaign to create a clean energy commitment and long-term sustainability plan in our school district, I decided to run for the school board.”

The teenager, who is an elected student leader in his school, talks about keeping things in perspective and including everyone in the decision-making process. "Activism takes place at the intersection of your interests, your skills, and your community's needs. From artists to writers to speakers to scientists, there is room for everybody in our movement,” Shiva said."

Alishba Imran

Growing up in Toronto, Alishba carved a space for herself in the world of machine learning, robotics, and blockchain at the very young age of 18. About four years back, Alishba, who had zero knowledge about programming or coding back then, enrolled herself to join her school’s robotics team. While she faced several issues, her focus to learn, earned her the position of the lead programmer on the team. And there has been no turning back since then.

A few years after this incident, while on a service trip in India, the teenager learned about the lack of medication in various rural parts of the country. To come up with a solution for this, Alishba taught herself blockchain coding and launched Honestblocks, a platform that tracks counterfeit medicine in the supply chain. Her codebase for the initiative has since been integrated into IBM and used globally. She then co-founded Voltx to accelerate the development of renewable energy storage devices using machine learning and physics models to accelerate the lab to commercialization process for electrochemical devices.

“The biggest thing you can optimize for in life is people. Spend time exploring your interests, what you’re good at, and what brings you energy. I think the best things to work on are at the intersection of what you're good at, what you enjoy, and are a way for you to create value for the world," the teenager said.

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A tale of grit and determination: Nayana Kokare’s dedication to excellence as India’s ace runner

(August 3, 2023) In the quiet village of Chalagere in Mundgod Taluk, in Karnataka, a young girl would run around, rather actually sprint, to do her chores, field activities, shopping, and school. And that is where this remarkable tale of courage and determination unfolds, as today that girl - Nayana Kokare - is a national level runner, who has represented India in the Asian U-20 Championships, in South Korea in June 2023 and won a 4x100m relay bronze and secured a fourth position in Asia in 200m. The girl, who would run barefoot in her village, was discovered by a non-profit organization Bridges Of Sports (BOS) during an event. Once this exceptional runner was identified, she received the essential resources and opportunities to participate and excel at the highest echelons of competition. Currently considered to be India's fastest runner, Nayana sits with Global Indian to talk about her journey and aspirations. A born fighter Born in 2004 to a farming family, the runner was the youngest kid with two older brothers and two sisters. Her father is a farmer and her mother goes to work in the fields. Nayana's early life was a constant hustle. Traveling several kilometres to attend

dian.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian to talk about her journey and aspirations.

A born fighter

Born in 2004 to a farming family, the runner was the youngest kid with two older brothers and two sisters. Her father is a farmer and her mother goes to work in the fields. Nayana's early life was a constant hustle. Traveling several kilometres to attend school and participating fervently in school sports, her passion for running bloomed at a young age. “I did my primary schooling in my village itself and as our village does not have a high school, we had to travel 12 km to go to school. I used to participate in the school sports day when I was in 6th and 7th grade, and I absolutely loved running,” says the runner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFCBv0rM8Hc

Her professional journey really began when she was 16 and there were selection trials in Mundgod organised by an NGO, Bridges of Sports. “I got the opportunity to participate and fortunately, I was selected. The coaches there provided me with a deeper understanding of sports and competition, which ignited a profound love for athletics within me.”

However, it was not all a bed of roses. Once the runner was selected into the program, there were immediate obstacles as her parents were not comfortable with their daughter training in shorts and track attire in the community ground. They were not sure how sports can help her or their family live a better life. “As an organisation, it took us almost the whole of 2019 to work with her and her family to provide them a roadmap of how her life could benefit from sports and her success in athletics. Their family’s average annual income was around 400-550 USD largely dependent on good monsoons. This was one of the main reasons for children from her village and community dropping out of education and supporting their families to earn additional income. We are working with a few international partners to enable and support her training for the Asian Games 2026,” says Nitish Chiniwar, Founder and CEO, of Bridges of Sports Foundation.

The results are now paying off. She is now recognised as the fastest runner in India, something she is rightfully happy and proud of. “I will do my best, work harder to become faster. Also, I will motivate more athletes to come to sports and train,” the runner plans. Her training involves different sessions for speed, endurance, gym, and cycling, along with sprinting lessons from her coaches as well as psychology sessions. Her diet is more specific to her sport which includes eggs, chicken, milk, and muesli, quantity wise of food. “I miss a lot of foods like Maggi, chicken rolls, and ice cream. Sometimes I miss them more, but once I win a medal it is all worth it,” she smiles.

From fields to podiums

During the pandemic, she faced significant difficulties in maintaining her training regimen. With restrictions in place and limited access to sports facilities, she had to find alternative solutions. “Our hostel rooms, the hostel veranda, and even the gym room became our training spaces. Despite the limitations, we were determined to continue our daily training. In these trying times, our coaches stood by us and provided unwavering support. They stayed with us, ensuring that we received the guidance and assistance we needed. They understood the challenges we faced and went above and beyond to help us adapt to the new circumstances," says the runner.

Though the circumstances were not ideal, the team made the most of what they had. “We transformed our living spaces into makeshift training areas and pushed ourselves to maintain our fitness and skills. The dedication and support of our coaches played a crucial role in keeping us motivated and focused on our goals. Through perseverance and teamwork, we overcame the obstacles posed by the pandemic and remained committed to our athletic development," she recalls.

And that is also how the runner rationalises challenges like missing classes and missing festivals at home outweigh winning which makes her happier and the sacrifices worth it. Looking ahead, she says that she would like to represent India in more international competitions, win more medals, participate in the Olympics, and make the country proud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21JtuKVccec

"I aspire to inspire and motivate more young children to pursue sports and strive for success. By setting an example through my dedication and achievements, I hope to ignite a spark in their hearts, encouraging them to dream big and work hard towards their own accomplishments. With a strong sense of purpose and determination, I am eager to continue my training, give my best performance, and make a positive impact in the world of sports,” the runner avers. In her spare time, she indulges in drawing, watching videos on YouTube, and ‘roaming around’, in her own words. Until then it is time to celebrate this young prodigy and raise a toast to her success today and in the future.

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Kanav Kariya: The Indian-origin entrepreneur in Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list

(November 24, 2022) Like most Indian kids, Kanav Kariya too had an American dream. And taking the first step on the ladder, he enrolled himself in the University of Illinois for a bachelor's degree in computer engineering. Little did the Mumbai lad know that in a few years he would make it to Fortune's 40 Under 40 list. When he joined university, crypto was still an idea or a concept that people were speaking about at a few trading companies. But an internship with Jump Trading changed the course of Kanav's life, as he was promoted to the position of President at Jump Crypto in a few years. This journey from intern to president speaks volumes about Kanav as an executive and an entrepreneur. Ever since the company handed him the reins of its rebranded, 170-person digital assets division, Jump Crypto, "he’s overseen billions in investments in the crypto space and helped position the company as a major player in Web3," according to Fortune, who reveals that Jump Crypto invested in more than 100 crypto companies in the last one year. [caption id="attachment_24579" align="aligncenter" width="663"] Kanav Kariya has been featured in Fortune's 40 Under 40 list[/caption] From coder to trader

Kanav Kariya has been featured in Fortune's 40 Under 40 list[/caption]

From coder to trader

However, when Kanav moved to the US at 18, he had no interest in trading. It was something that he picked up in the US while studying at the University of Illinois. "Jump Trading has a research lab at the University of Illinois where we work on all kinds of stock and research programs. So, collaborations with professors and Ph.D. students and undergrads is common. So, I ended up interning there during the course of my junior year, and the crypto effort was just being born as an early project. It was just the five-six of us who would excitedly spin chairs and talk about crypto and we were building a crypto trading infrastructure. That's when I parallelly built my interest in both the fields - crypto and trading," he said on the SuperTeam podcast.

For someone who was gradually immersing himself in the world of trading, working in Jump Trading was a novel experience. "I was coming into an environment where there was a bunch of really smart people - it was by the virtue of grinding and picking things up that I learnt a lot. We were doing coding but we kept talking about trading," he added.

The crypto scene

Steadily, Kanav and his team members realised that building crypto was the real deal and that's when the crypto effort, which started as an intern project began taking on a form of its own. "When I came into Jump Crypto, I was working on building the trading infrastructures that allow these predictions and executions to go into the market. After a point, I was working as the quant to build the predictions and executions. After a while, as we got more involved in crypto, we realised the more exciting opportunities were in building crypto," said the Global Indian.

[caption id="attachment_24580" align="aligncenter" width="696"] Kanav Kariya is the president of Jump Crypto[/caption]

Kanav's expertise in the field led him to become the president of Jump Crypto in 2021. "Jump Trading has spent decades focused on building the infrastructure for high-performance systems and technologies. We're bringing that muscle to crypto and aim to meaningfully contribute to the construction of the 'plumbing and the railroads' necessary for widespread adoption of crypto," the 26-year-old said in a statement.

And within a year, Kanav has made it to Fortune's 40 Under 40 list. As for future ambitions, Kariya tells Fortune that he wants Jump Crypto to be a “key infrastructure builder that is part of the furniture of the industry as it scales.”

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Best of both worlds: Meet Vaibhav Mohanty – an accomplished scholar and musician

(January 25, 2024) At 15, when most kids were in school and still working on deciding their career path, Vaibhav Mohanty was already accepted to Harvard. By 2019, the youngster had graduated from the University with a master's degree in chemistry (theory) and a bachelor's degree summa cum laude in chemistry and physics. But, if you think he is just another brilliant nerd, you are wrong. The young scholar is also quite an accomplished musician - a composer, arranger, pianist, saxophonist, and music theorist, who has performed across the United States and on international stages. "I am passionate about music and science," shares the scholar as he connects with Global Indian, adding, "My current goal is to extend my physics-based theories of evolution to understand how molecular-level structural changes in proteins can induce changes in evolutionary fitness of viruses and cancers." A student of Harvard Medical School and MIT, where he is pursuing medical training as well as a second Ph.D. (in chemistry), Vaibhav is the recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. "It’s an honour. It will help me connect with several other scholars who are working in the same field as I am

ncers." A student of Harvard Medical School and MIT, where he is pursuing medical training as well as a second Ph.D. (in chemistry), Vaibhav is the recipient of the prestigious Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. "It’s an honour. It will help me connect with several other scholars who are working in the same field as I am and gain so much more knowledge from them," he says.

A beautiful mind

Born to Bidyut and Sangeeta Mohanty in Charleston, South Carolina - who moved to the USA in the early 90s - Vaibhav began learning piano at the age of four. "I wrote my first piece for solo piano in memory of a late elementary school teacher when I was nine years old," shares the scholar who loves watching old Bollywood movies with his parents. "Eventually, I began composing works for concert bands as well as chamber ensembles. I also performed in concerts as guest conductor for the premiere of my first symphonic work when I was about 12 years old." In fact, throughout and after high school, Vaibhav taught music at the summer SMAART programme of the Charleston County School District. Additionally, he taught music theory at a private music studio in Charleston as well.

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Vaibhav has earned national recognition for his large wind ensemble and chamber works, which have been published by esteemed entities such as JPM Music Publications (Missouri), Lighthouse Music Publications (Ontario, Canada), Radnofsky-Couper Editions (Massachusetts), and C.L. Barnhouse Publications (Iowa). His compositions are widely distributed and regularly performed in the United States and various parts of the world. The scholar is also an active jazz pianist.

A brilliant student, who has often been the youngest one in his class, Vaibhav started working on gaining his footing both in the music world as well as the scientific world quite early in life. But ask him how such an accomplished musician turned to chemistry and medicine, and he quips, "Music and science happened in parallel for me. One of the main reasons why I was motivated to pursue a career in medicine is because of my own experience of being hospitalised, when I was nine. It was a short hospitalisation, however, I still clearly remember how amazed I was by all the technology present around me, especially the scanners. But what really convinced me was a high school thesis project, for which I was trying to understand when should a pregnant woman take ibuprofen or any other types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, and how can it negatively affect the embryo," shares the scholar.

[caption id="attachment_35437" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Vaibhav presenting the study he did for his senior thesis[/caption]

Speaking about his project further, Vaibhav adds, "So, I was doing very basic research using the chicken embryos, which were fresh out of the egg. I learnt that we can use different animal model systems to try and understand how this might have a negative impact on humans. That made me realise that I would like to contribute to this field and help people recover from illness or advise them through challenging times in their lives."

For a noble cause

After graduating from high school, Vaibhav joined Harvard University to pursue a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics, with a minor in music. "While at Harvard, I was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honour society as part of Harvard's Junior 24 and received a 2018 Barry Goldwater Scholarship for his physics research. As an undergraduate and master’s student, my published research papers spanned several interdisciplinary topics across the sciences and even music, including diffusion MRI physics, time-dependent quantum mechanics of graphene, and mathematical and geometrical models of voice leading in music theory," shares the scholar.

In 2019, the youngster received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, which allowed him to pursue a PhD in theoretical physics at the University of Oxford’s Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics. "I must mention that it was one of the best experiences thus far. I got to work with the Condensed Matter Theory group with Professor Ard Louis to use statistical physics and spin glass theory to investigate fundamental properties of biological evolution," expresses the scholar, who earned his first Ph.D. (DPhil) in 2022, having submitted his dissertation titled “Robustness of Evolutionary and Glassy Systems” in under two years, at the age of 22.

So what next? "Right now I am quite busy with my research and hospital schedule at Harvard. I aspire to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat diseases subject to evolution on fast timescales and to treat patients with such diseases. But, I want to continue my musical journey as well. I plan to perform around the US and other parts of the world," the scholar says.

Follow Vaibhav Mohanty on Instagram, Twitter, SoundCloud, and his website

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