Five Questions with Achyuta Rajaram, 1st Place Winner of the 2024 Regeneron Science Talent Search

Last year, Achyuta Rajaram won the top prize of $250,000 in the Regeneron Science Talent Search—the nation’s most prestigious math and science competition for high school seniors—for his machine learning project. His research helps improve our ability to understand how computer models, which find patterns in images, ‘think’ when analyzing photos and which parts of their ‘mechanical brains’ contribute to decision-making.

At the time, 17-year-old Achyuta was a student at Phillips Exeter Academy, where he co-led the school’s physics, chemistry and chess clubs. Now a student at MIT, he is studying physics and computer science and is actively involved in the institution’s Poker and Robotics Clubs. He remains passionate about deep learning research and is currently working at CSAIL, as well as collaborating with David Bau, a professor at Northeastern University.

Achyuta shares that one thing that surprised him the most during the Science Talent Search was the was the camaraderie among the finalists. He says that one of the most valuable aspects of the competition was the friendships and sense of community built along the way.

Achyuta offers some advice to this year’s class: “Keep in touch with each other; I truly believe that the friends you make during the competition will last a lifetime. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to Science Talent Search alumni! Even in college, I still talk to my friends from STS daily (it does help that a lot of us go to MIT)!” He adds, “I wish all the finalists the best of luck! I know this time can be extremely stressful (I was pretty worried).”

“Congratulations to all of you on making it this far!”

Let’s hear more from Achyuta below!

Which sci-fi advancement do you wish we had by now?

I’d be most excited about powerful simulations of the world—ways to plan ahead before events actually happen. As someone who plays a lot of chess, I always wonder what life would be like if we could “calculate ahead” in a predictable way. Also, time travel—though that might be impossible!

Which scientist—alive or deceased—would you want to solve scientific mysteries with and why?

Definitely Richard Feynman. He had a rare ability to communicate complex ideas in intuitive ways and get people excited about learning. His lectures are a must-read, and I’d love to see what he’d be working on today!

What would you invent if you had unlimited resources?

That’s a tough one! With unlimited resources, I’d focus on planet-scale problems—maybe designing a real-life Verne gun (a giant cannon that launches objects into space), which could make sending things into orbit 1000x cheaper. In the shorter term, I’d work on malaria prevention by eradicating mosquitoes, since malaria remains one of the most devastating diseases in the world.

What would you say to inspire the next generation of scientists?

The most exciting thing about being a scientist is working at the frontier of technological advancements—getting a glimpse into what the future might look like. I’d encourage young scientists to think about the problems they find most exciting. Even if something seems impossible today, it may not be in a few years!

What was your most memorable experience from the Regeneron Science Talent Search?

Visiting Washington, D.C. and meeting with members of Congress and their staff was an incredibly insightful experience. I loved learning about the thought process behind policy decisions and gaining a better appreciation for the scale of the government—each elected official has massive teams working to keep them informed on key issues.

Learn more about all the finalists on our website. Be sure to bookmark the link to watch the awards ceremony livestream at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight, Tuesday, March 11, when we will announce the winner of the $250,000 top prize winner.