Notable Alumni Headshot David Ruchien Liu
Notable Alumni - headshot
Notable Alumni - Alice Koniges with her project at the 1974 ISEF in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Notable Alumni Headshot -
Notable Alumni - Roderic Pettigrew
Notable Alumni - Jon Kleinberg, professor of computer science (COMS), teaching a class.
Notable Alumni - Raymond Kurzweil
Notable Alumni Gideon Yu
Notable Alumni - Erika Ebbel Angle
Notable Alumni - Kristina Johnson
Notable Alumni - Lisa Su
Notable Alumni - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Notable Alumni -Robert Axelrod
Notable Alumni - Gordon Freeman
Notable Alumni - Kip Thorne
Notable Alumni - Susan Kayser
Notable Alumni headshot - Anil Menon
Robert Coleman headshot Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Innovators. Explorers. Scientists.

From Nobel laureates to entrepreneurs and inventors, the Society for Science has an extraordinary community of alumni who embody the principles of science and engineering research, leadership, innovation and global impact in their careers long after competing in our storied science research competitions.

These alumni underscore the critical importance of the Society’s programs — which encourage and celebrate young scientific talent and its potential — and tell the story of our history.

In celebration of the Society’s centennial, these impressive changemakers were selected based on their professional accomplishments and lasting contributions to advancing science and improving the world in which we live. We look forward to adding alumni in the years that follow.

We hope you explore this list, draw inspiration from their journeys and share your story as a past competitor.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another alumna/us to be considered for the website, please email alumni@societyforscience.org with the subject line “Notable Alumni Nomination”.

Please visit our Regeneron ISEF, Regeneron Science Talent Search, Thermo Fisher Scientific JIC and suite of STEM Outreach programs pages to discover the next generation of innovators.

Meet the Changemakers

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Notable Alumni Headshot Arthur Winfree

Arthur Winfree

Science Talent Search
1960s
MacArthur Fellowship
Notable Alumni - Milford Wolpoff

Milford Wolpoff

Science Talent Search
1960s
Notable Alumni Headshot George Yancopoulos

George Yancopoulos

Science Talent Search
1970s
Notable Alumni Headshot

Gideon Yu

International Science and Engineering Fair
1980s
Feng Zhang Notable Alumni Headshot

Feng Zhang

International Science and Engineering Fair Science Talent Search
1990s, 2000s

The biggest impact it had on my life was that without the experience [of winning STS], I might have given up. It gave me the confidence to persevere and motivated me to learn a lot more.

Natalia Toro

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Notable alumni headshot

The best part of the competition was the relationships that I developed with the other competitors. Under this pressure cooker, you make connections quickly and they were long lasting.

Thomas Rosenbaum

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Notable alumni headshot Thomas Rosenbaum

As a daughter of non-scientists...my participation in the ISEF helped ignite my interest in a career in science and engineering.

Dianne Newman

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Notable alumni headshot

I promised myself I’d get into the International Science and Engineering Fair so I could experience this again.

Paul Maddon

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Notable Alumni - Paul Maddon

Connect on the Society Alumni Network

Meet fellow alumni, volunteer, share or apply for job and research opportunities, RSVP for events and get the latest updates on Society programs and initiatives.

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National Leadership Council
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The Top 3 Grand Award Winners ISEF 2026, Phoenix: (L-R) Nikola Veselinov, 17, of Sofia, Bulgaria, Hikaru Kuribayashi, 17, of Sapporo, Japan, and Lakshmi Agrawal, 18, of Bellevue, Washington

Next generation of scientific leaders awarded more than $7 Million at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair

ISEF 2025: Cory Seelenfreund, 17, of New Rochelle, New York, received the $10,000 Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication for his study of the relevance of memory in the Prisoner’s Dilemma.

Five Questions with Cory Seelenfreund, winner of the 2025 Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication

Host Barb Baker on stage with ISEF finalists, Regeneron ISEF 2026 during the Opening Ceremony, Phoenix

Regeneron ISEF is heating up in Phoenix!

Support the Next Generation of Science Leaders

Join a passionate community dedicated to advancing scientific literacy and innovation and nurturing the next generation of science leaders. Our most innovative future is only possible if more people speak the shared language of science. We look forward to achieving that goal together!

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