Close to Three Dozen Indian American Young Researchers Named 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholars

Aaditya Rau (left) of Johns Hopkins University and Sidhika Balachandar (right) from Stanford University were among several Indian American students from across the U.S. named 2021 Barry Goldwater Scholars. (LinkedIn photos)

India-West Staff Reporter

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation recently announced its 2021 class of Goldwater Scholars, with close to at least three dozen Indian Americans among the group.

Peggy Goldwater Clay, chair of the board of trustees of the foundation, announced the names of the scholars, noting that the trustees of the Goldwater Board have increased the number of Goldwater scholarships it has awarded for the 2021-2022 academic year to 410 college students as a result of its partnership with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs.

“As it is vitally important that the nation ensures that it has the scientific talent it needs to maintain its global competitiveness and security, we saw partnering with the Goldwater Foundation as a way to help ensure the U.S. is developing this talent,” said Dr. Jagadeesh Pamulapati, Indian American director of the NDEP program, as he explained the partnership.

Many of the scholars have published their research in leading professional journals and have presented their work at professional society conferences, a news release said, adding that Goldwater Scholars have impressive academic and research credentials that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs.

Among the Indian American 2021 scholars named were:

Aaditya Rau of Johns Hopkins University

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: Ph.D. in mechanical engineering; to conduct research in modeling of the synthesis and processing of advanced materials at an academic institution.

Karthik Reddy of the University of Alabama at Birmingham

Field of Study: Psychology

Career Goal: Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience; to investigate the neural mechanisms involved in memory and learning impairments experienced by children with complex medical conditions.

Aditi Gnanasekar of the University of California-San Diego

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in computational medicine; treat patients and lead own research group to develop more effective and affordable cancer diagnostic and treatment technologies.

Pratyush Muthukumar of the University of California-Irvine

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in machine learning; research and develop ethical and effective machine learning models that increase interconnectivity and altruism among people, especially in the healthcare setting.

Seema Patel of the University of Connecticut

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in pharmacology; conduct basic and translational research in oncology, specifically developing novel anti-cancer drugs, and teach at the medical/graduate school level.

Sidhika Balachandar from Stanford University

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in computer science and become a professor to teach and conduct research in the use of artificial intelligence for computational biology.

Shovan Bhatia from Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in neuroengineering and combining novel engineering-based strategies to improve the functional independence and quality of life of people living with neurological impairments.

Tejas Athni of Stanford University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D.-Ph.D.; conduct research on the molecular mechanisms and eco-epidemiological drivers of disease, lead an interdisciplinary research group, and mentor the next generation of scientists.

Chetna Batra from Georgia State University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in microbiology; conduct research on the intersection between microbiology and public health. Applying medical knowledge to study lipid-related diseases at the cellular level.

Geetika Patwardhan from the University of Hawaii at Manoa

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology; conduct research as a physician-scientist in Hawaii.

Ashma Pandya from the University of Illinois at Chicago

Field of Study: Chemistry

Career Goal: Ph.D. in biophysics; study the transition from physiochemical to biological systems, first at a national lab and then at a university.

Sanketh Andhavarapu from the University of Maryland-College Park

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: MD/Ph.D. in neuroscience; conduct laboratory and translational research to formulate therapies for neurological diseases using insights from my clinical practice at an academic medical institution.

Naveen Durvasula from the University of California-Berkeley

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in computer science, specializing in theory and artificial intelligence; develop tools with the potential to impact many as a professor of computer science.

Karan Luthria from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in computational biology; aspire to lead a research team in developing computational tools to improve our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

Naveen Raman from the University of Maryland-College Park

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in computer science and become a professor and research the fairness of artificial intelligence algorithms in critical fields such as criminal justice, job markets, and health care.

Anjini Chandra from the California Institute of Technology

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and later conduct research in fluid mechanics and teach at the university level.

Karthik Ravi of the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D.; work as a research scientist in the field of pediatric neuro-oncology at an academic research institution.

Pushya Krishna from Montana State University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience; conduct research on neurodegenerative disorders and to develop new clinical therapies to improve patient outcomes.

Joheen Chakraborty from Columbia University in the City of New York

Field of Study: Physics and Astronomy

Career Goal: Pursue research at the intersection of computing and astrophysics, using computational tools to assist with analysis of massive datasets and numerical simulations of complex physical systems.

Harshini Raman from Wellesley College

Field of Study: Medicine

Career Goal: Ph.D. in neuroscience; M.D., specialization in psychiatry and conduct research in neuroscience and teach at a university hospital.

Sreya Sanyal from New Jersey Institute of Technology

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in cancer biology; conduct translational research that optimizes and delivers novel cancer therapeutics and to teach at the graduate level.

Kevan Shah of Muhlenberg College

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: Ph.D. in neuroscience; conduct research on the underpinnings of memory and their implications for Alzheimer’s dementia and related diseases.

Anoop Kiran from the University at Buffalo

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: Ph.D. in aerospace engineering, focused on aerodynamics and fluids; to improve existing flight dynamics capabilities by serving at a national lab.

Ishaan Madan from Wheaton College

Field of Study: Chemistry

Career Goal: Ph.D. in organic chemistry; conduct research in astrobiology and collaborate in space exploration missions for ocean world environments – aiming to understand the emergence of precursors of life.

Arvind Mahankali from Carnegie Mellon University

Field of Study: CISE

Career Goal: Ph.D. in computer science, focusing on algorithms and machine learning and teach and conduct research in these topics at the university level.

Tara Venkatadri from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: Ph.D. in aerospace engineering; conduct research that advances the field of space exploration and helps humanity travel to and learn more about the planets around us.

Sanjeeth Rajaram from the University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Field of Study: Medicine

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in immunology; conduct basic/translational research on autoimmunity at a collaborative academic medical center to create therapies for immunological disease.

Shiker Nair of Johns Hopkins University

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in biomedical engineering; lead a research team specializing in applying bioinformatics and computational biology to precision medicine.

Pradyot Yadav from Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

Field of Study: Engineering

Career Goal: Ph.D. in microwave engineering; working as a technical fellow at a semiconductor company conducting research on advanced III-V compound semiconductors and novel RF topologies.

Sai Sarnala from the University of North Texas

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: Ph.D. in plant genetics; develop transgenic plant lines to provide novel methods for pharmaceutical development and disease prevention.

Saket Bikmal of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: MD/Ph.D. specializing in neural engineering and computational neuroscience; conduct medical device research, particularly focusing on neuro-assistive technologies for special needs children.

Anish Karpurapu from Duke University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: MD/Ph.D. in stem cell biology; conduct research utilizing computational techniques to innovate in vitro modeling and drug discovery.

Anirban Mahanty of Virginia Commonwealth University

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in molecular biology, conducting basic science research related to neurodevelopment.

Manasa Kalluri from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Field of Study: Life Sciences

Career Goal: M.D./Ph.D. in stem cell and regenerative medicine; conduct research on stem cell therapies and treatment optimization for neurological disorders, leading a research group at an academic institution.

The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986. The Scholarship Program honoring Sen. Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

With the 2021 awards, this brings the number of scholarships awarded since 1989 by the Goldwater Foundation to 9457.