Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 Finalists

The Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 finalists represent 35 schools across 15 states. They are competing for more than $1.8 million, with a top prize of $250,000. Finalists were selected from 300 scholars and 2,612 entrants, the largest pool of applicants since 1967, based on the originality and creativity of their scientific research, as well as their achievement and leadership both inside and outside of the classroom.

 

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Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 Finalists

Rohan Arni

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Rohan Arni

School: High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ

Project Title: Using Deep Learning for Robust Classification of Fast Radio Bursts

Rachel Chen

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Rachel Chen

School: Marlborough School, Los Angeles, CA

Project Title: The Dual Canonical Basis in the Spin Representation via the Temperley-Lieb Algebra

Linus Chen-Plotkin

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Linus Chen-Plotkin

School: Germantown Friends School, Philadelphia, PA

Project Title: Predictability and Statistical Memory in Classical Sonatas and Quartets

Ryka Chopra

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Ryka Chopra

School: Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, CA

Project Title: Designing Incentive-Compatible Cooperation for the Global Commons: A Reinforcement Learning-Integrated Mechanism Design Framework for Arctic Conservation

Colin Jie Chu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Colin Chu

School: The Nueva School, San Mateo, CA

Project Title: Frequency-Based Parameterization of Semi-Empirical Models for State-of-Health Estimation in Lithium-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles

Mason Corey

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Mason Corey

School: Kingsway Regional High School, Swedesboro, NJ

Project Title: AI-Powered Thermal Fingerprinting: Predicting PLA Tensile Strength Through Schlieren Imaging

Jashvi Desai

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Jashvi Desai

School: Yorktown High School, Yorktown Heights, NY

Project Title: Neuroinflammatory Signatures and Compensatory Prefrontal Mechanisms in Long COVID-19: Insights From 7T MRI and Cognitive Modeling

Mythreya Dharani

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Mythreya Dharani

School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ

Project Title: I2-CISSP: An Interpretable Machine Learning Framework for Robust and Practical Prediction of Cisplatin Response in Human Tumors

Jonathan Du

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Jonathan Du

School: Los Altos High School, Los Altos, CA

Project Title: An Unrestricted Notion of the Finite Factorization Property

Leanne Fan

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Leanne Fan

School: Westview School, San Diego, CA

Project Title: Photobiomodulation on In Vivo and In Vitro Wound Models Under Simulated Microgravity for Future Space Travel

Connor Hill

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Connor Hill

School: Delta High School, State College, PA

Project Title: The Complete Set of Noble Polyhedra

Claire Jiang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Claire Jiang

School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ

Project Title: A Novel In Vitro Cell Culture Model for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Edward Kang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Edward Kang

School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ

Project Title: RetinaMind: Convergent In Silico and In Vitro Evidence for the Retina as a Novel Biomarker in the Early Diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Khushi Karthikeyan

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Khushi Karthikeyan

School: Ardsley High School, Ardsley, NY

Project Title: The Supermassive Problem: Probing Potential Stellar Formation Pathways of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

Jaeho Lee

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Jaeho Lee

School: Spring Branch Academic Institute, Houston, TX

Project Title: Affine Group of Integers Modulo n, Conjugacy Classes and Representations

Frances Liang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Frances Liang

School: The Nueva School, San Mateo, CA

Project Title: PLI-Analyzer: A Novel Platform for Quantitative Assessment of Structural and Biological Accuracy in AI-Predicted Protein-Protein Complexes

Sophia Liang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Sophia Liang

School: Centennial High School, Ellicott City, MD

Project Title: Pharmacologic Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Activation for Suppression of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells: Implications for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ella Lu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Ella Lu

School: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC

Project Title: Compositional Analysis of Visual Art Structure

Kevin Lu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Kevin Lu

School: Bellarmine College Preparatory School, San Jose, CA

Project Title: AEGIS: Security Sandboxing Meets Mechanistic Interpretability To Defend Against Prompt Injection Attacks

Frank Lucci

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Frank Lucci

School: BASIS San Antonio Shavano Campus, Castle Hills, TX

Project Title: SubArc: An Inexpensive, High Resolution, Open Source, Absolute Magnetic Rotary Encoder

Finnegan McGill

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Finnegan McGill

School: Tanque Verde High School, Tucson, AZ

Project Title: A-BiRD: An Automated Bird Recognition Device for Acoustic Monitoring and Conservation

Natalie Muro

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Natalie Muro

School: William J. Palmer High School, Colorado Springs, CO

Project Title: A Novel Field-Based Approach to Reducing Harmful Algal Blooms in Freshwater Ecosystems

Seth Jacob Nabat

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Seth Nabat

School: William Howard Taft High School, Woodland Hills, CA

Project Title: Learning Broken Symmetries With Approximate Invariance: A Novel Dual-Subnetwork Approach to Classifying Particle Collision Events

Ananya Gulur Nagendra

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Ananya Nagendra

School: Plano East Senior High School, Plano, TX

Project Title: Utilizing Ants To Mitigate MSW Landfill-Generated Methane Production Through Novel Aerobic Digester System for Anthropogenic Food Waste Decomposition

Max Hung Nguyen

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Max Nguyen

School: Leland High School, San Jose, CA

Project Title: Star2Planet: Decoding and Predicting the Stellar Signatures of Planet Formation

Rayhan Papar

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Rayhan Papar

School: The Woodlands College Park High School, Woodlands, TX

Project Title: Sim-to-Real for Autonomous Tumor Resection via Minimally Invasive Robotics

Kaya Parikh

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Kaya Parikh

School: Hunter College High School, New York, NY

Project Title: Ozempic® and Counterfeit Ozempic in Novel Triple-Readout Drosophila Model With Type-2 Diabetes and Obesity

Siddharth Pasari

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Siddharth Pasari

School: Hunter College High School, New York, NY

Project Title: Development of N-glycan Microarrays as Sensors for Glycan Binders

Aashritha Penumudi

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Aashritha Penumudi

School: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA

Project Title: A Novel Approach to Understanding the Structural Basis of Ribosome Stalling by AMD1 and Cellular Arresting Peptides

Vallabh Ramesh

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Vallabh Ramesh

School: duPont Manual Magnet High School, Louisville, KY

Project Title: Next-Gen Smart Materials: Thermo-Responsive and Conductive 3D Printable Polymer Gels for Diverse Applications

Ashka Shah

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Ashka Shah

School: Jericho Senior High School, Jericho, NY

Project Title: Selective Dual Inhibition of β-Catenin in Wnt-Driven Cancers via Gid8-Assisted Translocation and a Precision Peptide-Based Gene Therapy

Iris Shen

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Iris Shen

School: The Woodlands College Park High School, Woodlands, TX

Project Title: Assessing Marine Bivalves as Novel Invertebrate Models for Targeting Anti-Apoptotic BCL-2 Family Proteins in Blood Cancer: The In Vivo Effects of Ursolic Acid and Gossypol Acetic Acid on Tumor Cells in Mercenaria mercenaria

Uma Maya Sthanu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Uma Sthanu

School: Westwood High School, Austin, TX

Project Title: Glia-Neuron GPCR Signaling as a Therapeutic Route to Axon Regeneration: cAMP-PKA Activation Elevates Excitability and Regrowth in Neurons

Leon Wang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Leon Wang

School: King School, Stamford, CT

Project Title: Repurposing Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Drugs To Treat Vascular Alzheimer’s Dementia: A Safe, Effective and Accessible Approach to Alzheimer’s Treatment

Henry Xie

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Henry Xie

School: Westview High School, Portland, OR

Project Title: Distilling Empathy From Large Language Models

Jerry Xu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Jerry Xu

School: Lexington High School, Lexington, MA

Project Title: A Unified Protein Embedding Model With Local and Global Structural Sensitivity

Jonathan Yan

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Jonathan Yan

School: Sage Hill School, Newport Beach, CA

Project Title: Bioinformatic Analysis of Metastasis-Associated Metabolic Landscape Reveals an Oncogenic Role for the Transsulfuration Pathway

Alyssa Yu

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Alyssa Yu

School: Poolesville High School, Poolesville, MD

Project Title: When Epidemics Meet: Understanding Spatiotemporal Interactions of Two Pathogens on Metapopulation Networks via Reaction-Diffusion Dynamics

Celine Zhang

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Celine Zhang

School: Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH

Project Title: Designing Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Agent Motion Planning

Audrey Zheng

Science Talent Search 2026 Finalist Audrey Zheng

School: North Allegheny Senior High School, Pittsburgh, PA

Project Title: Targeted Isolation of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Using a Cocktail of Magnetic Nanospheres for Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis