81 exceptional teen scientists of Indian-origin among 300 finalists of prestigious national competition

The  Society for Science (the Society) announced January 7, 2026, the top 300 scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Eighty one out of the 300 are of Indian origin, a proportion way higher than the population of Indians in the US. Each of the scholars will be awarded $2,000, and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar. This is the 85^th anniversary of this competition.

More than 2,600 students applied this year from 826 high schools across 46 states, Washington, D.C., Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and 16 countries.

The 300 scholars are from 203 American and international high schools in 34 states, Washington, D.C. and China.

President and CEO, Society for Science and Publisher, Science News Maya Ajmera congratulated the 300 finalists, adding, “Their research highlights the creativity, rigor and determination that’s pushing forward the future of scientific discovery. We are honored to recognize their achievements and support their continued pursuit of STEM excellence.”

Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.

The 300 winners announced on January 7, will be whittled down to around 40 of the top finalists on January 21, 2026, and the Awards Ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2026.

Below is the list of students of Indian origin among the 300 finalists. 15 students

Meghana Addanki, Age: 17
McNair Academic High School, New Jersey
Project Title: Efficient Energy Harvesting Using Biomaterials: Fabrication of a ZnO-Modified Eggshell Membrane and Cotton Fabric-Based Piezo-Tribo Hybrid Generator

Aryana Adur, Age: 17
Jericho Senior High School, New York
Project Title: Therapeutic Modulation of a Novel Neuroepithelial Circuit by Larazotide Acetate and Neuregulin-1 Restores Epithelial Barrier Integrity in Food Allergy

Anusha Agarwal, Age: 17
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Project Title: Multigrid-Inspired Neural Operators for Real-Time Brain Biomechanics Prediction With Spectrally-Aware Learning

Arjun Agarwal, Age: 18
Jesuit High School, Oregon
Project Title: Semisimplifications of α_p-Equivariant GL_n-Modules

Anchita Agrawal, Age: 17
Jericho Senior High School, New York
Project Title: Characterizing Convergent Transcriptomic Impacts of Norepinephrine Across Breast Cancer Grades via “Element AVITI-24”

Avyakt Agrawal, Age: 17
Woodward Academy College, Georgia
Project Title: A Novel Adaptive Learning Framework Integrating Item Response Theory, Bayesian Knowledge Tracing and Deep Learning With Confidence-Calibrated Feedback

Lakshmi Agrawal, Age: 18
Stanford University Online High School, California
Project Title: Stormwater Remediation of 6PPD and 6PPD-Quinone Using Citric Acid and Aluminum-Crosslinked Nanocellulose Hydrosponges

Amogh Akella, Age: 17
Westwood High School, Texas
Project Title: Diameter Bounds for Friends-and-Strangers Graphs

Anish Anand, Age: 18
Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, California
Project Title: A Novel Wireless Charging System for Pacemakers Using 2.4 GHz EM Waves

Aniruth Ananthanarayanan, Age: 18
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, Texas
Project Title: Cutting Too Deep: Tracking a Decade of Benign Lung Resections After the Rise of LDCT Cancer Screening

Rohan Arni, Age: 17
High Technology High School, New Jersey
Project Title: Using Deep Learning for Robust Classification of Fast Radio Bursts

Adhithi Arun, Age: 18
Livingston High School, New Jersey
Project Title: Platelets Promote Multiple Myeloma Cell Survival and Immune Evasion Through Soluble Factors and NK Cell Modulation

Shruti Arun, Age: 18
Cherry Creek High School, Colorado
Project Title: On the Double of an Endymion Algebra in Characteristic 2

Vedant Balani, Age: 17
Jericho Senior High School, New York
Project Title: Hurricane Forecasting Using Comprehensive Multivariable Machine Learning Modeling With Atmospheric Temperatures, Polar Motion and Sunspot Numbers

Pravin Balasingam, Age: 17
Los Gatos High School, California
Project Title: Novel Machine Learning Approach To Identify Brain-Behavior Relationships for Core Autistic Traits

Abhigya Bandugula, Age: 18
Lynbrook High School, California
Project Title: Comparison of RNA-Seq Data From Primary and Recurrent Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Avani Tara Bansal, Age: 18
The Potomac School, Virginia
Project Title: A Novel Pneumatic Silicone Sleeve for Transhumeral Prostheses That Autonomously Regulates and Adjusts to Socket–Limb Pressure To Improve Amputee Comfort

Dhroov Bharatia, Age: 17
Plano Senior High School, Texas
Project Title: AutoMates: Automating With Self-Learning Intelligent Agents

Mishika Bhatia, Age: 17
Rock Canyon High School, Colorado
Project Title: Saw Palmetto-Induced Inhibition of the 5α-Reductase Pathway as a Clinical Treatment for PCOS Symptoms

Srishti Boral, Age: 17
Eastlake High School, Washington
Project Title: Computational Design of Small-Molecule Activators of the AtlA Autolysin To Induce Internal Cell Death in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abhiram Chalamalasetty, Age: 17
Canyon Crest Academy, California
Project Title: TubercuProbe: A Cross-Attention Graph-Sequence Model for Prioritizing Compound Probes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Soumik Chemudupati, Age: 17
Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Texas
Project Title: Effectiveness of Amygdala Hijack Threat Cues for Interpretable Phishing Email Detection: A Comparison of Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Large Language Models

Ryka Chopra, Age: 17
Mission San Jose High School, California
Project Title: Designing Incentive-Compatible Cooperation for the Global Commons: A Reinforcement Learning-Integrated Mechanism Design Framework for Arctic Conservation

Arnav Dagar, Age: 17
Canyon Crest Academy, California
Project Title: ARFSNet–Deep Learning for Amblyopia Risk Factor Screening

Shaunak Dalal, Age: 17
Hershey High School, Pennsylvania
Project Title: Time-Series Deep Learning and Conformal Prediction for Improved Sepsis Diagnosis in Primarily Non-ICU Hospitalized Patients

Rohan Dash, Age: 17
Pine View School, Florida
Project Title: Controllable Multi-Objective Neural Architecture Search via Decision Transformers

Shaumprovo Debnath, Age: 18
Keystone School, Texas
Project Title: From Thought to Speech: Integrating Low Cost EEGs With AI To Decode Neural Language Signals in Neurologically Intact Non-Verbal Neuromuscular Patients

Jashvi Desai, Age: 18
Yorktown High School, New York
Project Title: Neuroinflammatory Signatures and Compensatory Prefrontal Mechanisms in Long COVID-19: Insights From 7T MRI and Cognitive Modeling

Mythreya Dharani, Age: 18
Bergen County Academies, New Jersey
Project Title: I2-CISSP: An Interpretable Machine Learning Framework for Robust and Practical Prediction of Cisplatin Response in Human Tumors

Samanyu Krishna Ganesh, Age: 18
The Westminster Schools, Georgia
Project Title: Characterizing Variations in the Ruelle Zeta Function Under Conformal Perturbations to the Metrics of Negatively Curved Riemannian 2-Manifolds

Anand Sebastian George, Age: 17
University School of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Project Title: Prediction of Infection Risk in Multiple Myeloma Patients Treated With Bispecific Antibodies: Neural Network and Ensemble Approaches
Danika Gupta, Age: 17
The Harker School, California
Project Title: Using AI To Clean Water: Leveraging Large Language Models for Mycoremediation Data Extraction and Modeling

Shivam Gupta, Age: 16
Friendswood High School, Texas
Project Title: Vision AI: A Novel and Cost-Effective Wearable Assistive System for the Visually Impaired Leveraging AI and Machine Vision

Karthika Hariprasad, Age: 17
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Kentucky
Project Title: A Novel Skin Cancer Detector Using Machine Learning

Anagha Lakshmi Iyer, Age: 17
American Heritage School, Florida
Project Title: A Novel Approach to Sustainable Concrete Engineering: Mechanochemical Activation of Local Waste Materials for CO₂ Reduction

Vasu Jain, Age: 17
Edgemont High School, New York
Project Title: Identification of Chromatin Modification Regulators Implicated in Cancers Through CRISPR Screening

Varini Kadakia, Age: 17
Archbishop Mitty High School, California
Project Title: Autonomous Drone-Based System for Outdoor Air Pollution Mitigation

Brij Kapadia, Age: 17
Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York
Project Title: Percived Negative Energy Density Hawking Radiation Near Black Holes: A Tensorial Derivation

Saurish Kapoor, Age: 17
Princeton High School, New Jersey
Project Title: A Deep Learning Approach for an Early and Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease in Cattle Using Retinal Fundal Images

Khushi Karthikeyan, Age: 18
Ardsley High School, New York
Project Title: The Supermassive Problem: Probing Potential Stellar Formation Pathways of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

Eashan Kosaraju, Age: 17
Solon High School, Ohio
Project Title: A Data-Driven Framework for Quantifying County-Level Structural Disadvantage and Disparities in Premature Mortality

Mythili Venkata Kota, Age: 17
McNair Academic High School, New Jersey
Project Title: Engineering a Novel Electrochemical Biosensor Using a Self-Healing ZnO Quantum Dot Matrix With MIP Technology for Lysozyme Detection

Soneesh Kothagundla, Age: 17
South Forsyth High School, Georgia
Project Title: Hard To Reach or Hardly Reached? Investigating Use of Lung Cancer Screening Among Eligible U.S. Adults Receiving Other Cancer Screenings

Rushil Kukreja, Age: 16
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Project Title: Preparing for the Next Carrington: Spatiotemporal Agent-Based Modeling for Safeguarding Satellite Infrastructure Under Extreme Space Weather Disturbances

Rhea Malhotra, Age: 18
Stuyvesant High School, New York
Project Title: Identifying Therapeutic Gene Targets for Cataract and Glaucoma

Yashnil Mohanty, Age: 17
Westmont High School, California
Project Title: Physics-Guided Neural Forecasts of Nearshore Harmful Algal Blooms in the California Current System

Ananya Gulur Nagendra, Age: 18
Plano East Senior High School, Texas
Project Title: Utilizing Ants To Mitigate MSW Landfill-Generated Methane Production Through Novel Aerobic Digester System for Anthropogenic Food Waste Decomposition

Siddharth Nair, Age: 17
Yorktown High School, New York
Project Title: Large-Scale Plastic Detection Pipeline via Machine Learning-Augmented Remote Sensing

Nived Nandakumar, Age: 17
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Project Title: A Closed-Loop Deep Generative Model for the Inverse Design of Radiation-Resistant Polymers

Sharanya Sanjay Natarajan, Age: 18
Edgewood Junior/Senior High School, Florida
Project Title: An Integrated Detection and Delivery System To Abate Contaminants in Water Bodies

Paarth Nawani, Age: 18
Cupertino High School, California
Project Title: A Low-Cost Non-Mydratic Retinal Imaging System With a Multistage Deep Learning Pipeline for Automated Screening of Glaucoma

Sritej Sai Padmanabhan, Age: 17
North Allegheny Senior High School, Pennsylvania
Project Title: Linking Goals to Learning: A Novel Goal-Inclusive Kalman Filter Framework Reveals That Goal Uncertainty Attenuates Sensorimotor Adaptation

Suhani Pahuja, Age: 17
Monta Vista High School, California
Project Title: Long-Term Cardiovascular and Mortality Risk in Patients With Preexisting Arrhythmia Post SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Aarthi M. Palaniappan, Age: 17
Herricks High School, New York
Project Title: Elucidating the Protective Role of Wnt4 Signaling and Gene Suppression in Modulating Fibrotic and Calcific Pathways in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease

Medha Pappula, Age: 17
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Project Title: Identifying Underlying Brain Connections in Pediatric ADHD: A Pathway to Early Diagnosis and Reduced Secondary Effects

Kaya Parikh, Age: 17
Hunter College High School, New York
Project Title: Ozempic® and Counterfeit Ozempic in Novel Triple-Readout Drosophila Model With Type-2 Diabetes and Obesity

Siddharth Pasari, Age: 17
Hunter College High School, New York
Project Title: Development of N-glycan Microarrays as Sensors for Glycan Binders

Arnav Pemmaraju, Age: 18
William A. Shine Great Neck South High School, New York
Project Title: CRE-LogicSim: A Surrogate Modeling Framework for Interpreting Cis-Regulatory Element Function in Deep Sequence Models

Aashritha Penumudi, Age: 17
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
Project Title: A Novel Approach to Understanding the Structural Basis of Ribosome Stalling by AMD1 and Cellular Arresting Peptides

Karthik Prasad, Age: 18
Illinois Math and Science Academy, Illinois
Project Title: On Yetter-Drinfeld Modules Over the Pansera Algebras

Vallabh Ramesh, Age: 18
duPont Manual Magnet High School, Kentucky
Project Title: Next-Gen Smart Materials: Thermo-Responsive and Conductive 3D Printable Polymer Gels for Diverse Applications

Akshat Santhana Gopalan, Age: 18
John P. Stevens High School, New Jersey
Project Title: TARGen: Novel Target-Aware Deep-Generative Framework for De Novo Therapeutic Antibody Design Develops Antibodies Targeting the Dark Kinome

Moitri Santra, Age: 16
Oviedo High School, Florida
Project Title: Development of an Industrially Viable Neutral pH Oxytetracycline Nanocarrier for Citrus and Stone Fruit Disease Management

Samuel Siddhartha Sastry, Age: 18
The College Preparatory School, California
Project Title: Folding and Reconfiguration of DNA Origami Book Structures

Aditya Sengupta, Age: 17
Bellevue High School, Washington
Project Title: ForeCAT: Advancing Clear Air Turbulence Prediction for Aviation Safety With Atmospheric Physics-Informed Neural Networks and Spatiotemporal Weather Data

Ananya Shah, Age: 17
Edgemont High School, New York
Project Title: A Comparison of Precinct and District Voting Data Using Persistent Homology To Identify Gerrymandering in North Carolina

Ashka Shah, Age: 17
Jericho Senior High School, New York
Project Title: Selective Dual Inhibition of β-Catenin in Wnt-Driven Cancers via Gid8-Assisted Translocation and a Precision Peptide-Based Gene Therapy

Nikhil Shah, Age: 18
Syosset High School, New York
Project Title: Examining the Impact of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines on Racial Disparities in Federal Sentencing

Aditya Shivakumar, Age: 18
The Harker School, California
Project Title: Ultra Low-Cost, Field-Deployable Arsenic(V) Detection and Adaptive Hotspot Mapping With Methylene Blue-Gold Nanoparticle Colorimetry and Smartphone Spectroscopy

Rohan Shivakumar, Age: 17
Viewpoint School, California
Project Title: A Novel Early-Warning Signal of Wildfire Spread Using Vegetation Stress at the Edge of Fire Fronts

Shawnak Shivakumar, Age: 17
Menlo Atherton High School, California
Project Title: Drugging the Undruggable: AI-Enabled Discovery of a Novel Cryptic Pocket and Inhibitors in Oncogenic eIF4E

Elizabeth Lilian Singh, Age: 17
Westlake High School, New York
Project Title: A Novel Epigenetic Pathway to Reversing Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension? Investigating the Regulating Role of UHRF1 in Smooth Muscle Cells

Ruhaan Singh, Age: 17
Farragut High School, Tennessee
Project Title: Utilizing a Temporal Sequence Transformer To Effectively Forecast Streamflow Across Diverse Hydroclimatic Regions in the United States

Indira Rajyalakshmi Sivaraj, Age: 16
Elk River Area Senior High School, Minnesota
Project Title: Uncovering Atomic-Level Insights in Metabolic Drug-Target Receptors Using Interpretable Machine Learning

Dhruvika M. Solanki, Age: 17
Morgantown High School, West Virginia
Project Title: Theory-Trained Neural Networks for Robust Arrhythmia Classification

Siddharth Sridharan, Age: 18
Little Rock Central High School, Arkansas
Project Title: The Neurobiology of Voluntary Exercise: A Novel Approach To Alleviate Chemobrain by Promoting Hippocampal Neurogenesis

Kaavya Tatavarty, Age: 17
Henry M. Gunn High School, California
Project Title: Personalized Cloud-Based Semg-to-Haptic System To Enable Long Distance Communication for Usher Syndrome

Sam Tummala, Age: 17
Chantilly High School, Virginia
Project Title: From Waste to Worth: Transforming Resistant Starches From Waste Rice Into a Single-Use Plastic Alternative and Controlled-Release Organic Fertilizer

Atharva Tyagi, Age: 18
Woodbridge Academy Magnet School, New Jersey
Project Title: From Mutation to Cure: A Prime Editing Approach to Universal Genetic Rescue in Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Aadhi Umamageswaran, Age: 17
West High School, Utah
Project Title: Visualizing Animal Vocalizations for Species Identification