Recognizing and Empowering Young Scientists to
Be Extraordinary
Since 2017, Regeneron and Society for Science have helped empower more than 20,000 young scientists to apply, recognized more than 3,000 scholars, and awarded more than $31 million in prizes through the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Together, Regeneron and the Society are fueling the brightest young minds and nurturing their potential to Be Extraordinary.
By providing a national stage to present research and advance new ways of thinking, Regeneron STS encourages and rewards a culture of curiosity, critical thinking, and rigorous scientific inquiry.
Be Extraordinary
Regeneron and the Society brought together several STS alumni to share their STS experiences, the impact on their lives, and how the program helped them
Be Extraordinary.
Check back over the next few weeks for inspiring videos featuring conversations between alumni, highlighting the impact the competition has had on their lives.
Fueled by Legends
All big breakthroughs start somewhere. For some, they start at the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS), the nation’s oldest and most prestigious STEM competition.
Hear from STS alumni Feng Zhang and Indrani Das on how the competition shaped their careers in science and why access to this national stage is vital for the future of innovation.
Together through STS, Regeneron and the Society recognize and empower the nation’s most promising young scientists who are behind the ideas that could solve society’s most urgent challenges.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) brings together a community of young scientists who are driven by curiosity, creativity, and a passion for discovery. These leaders embody what it means to #BeExtraordinary.
Hear STS alumni Frank Wilczek, Ph.D., Physicist, Professor, and Nobel Laureate, and Maria Fields, Ph.D. Student, Founder, and President, G.R.O.W. Tutoring Program, share their advice for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Through a longstanding partnership between Regeneron and Society for Science, #RegeneronSTS provides a national stage for promising young scientists to present groundbreaking ideas and inspire innovation.
Maria Fields - STS 2020
“I wanted to get involved in STS because it was an exciting opportunity to showcase the research I was very passionate about.”
Maria’s project for the 2020 Science Talent Search investigated a possible genetic explanation for why African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and have a higher mortality rate compared to European American patients. Maria applied modern computational and statistical analysis methods to gene expression data and found significant differences.
Matteo Paz - STS 2025
“Most of these kids did this with no funding. So imagine what these kids could do if you give them grants. I mean, the world would change.”
The top winner of the 2025 Regeneron STS, Matteo developed machine learning methods to convert a decade’s worth of full-sky data into a catalog of unseen stars and galaxies. His research produced a complete census of 1.9 million infrared variable objects, 1.5 million of which were new discoveries, including supermassive black holes, newborn stars and supernovae. Learn more about Matteo and his project.
For nearly a decade, Regeneron and Society for Science have provided a platform for bright young minds to present their ideas and help advance solutions to our world’s most pressing challenges through the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS).
STS alumni Dr. Susan Landau and Mary Zhu reflect on how early research helped build confidence, shape their values, and inform their approach to making a real-world impact.
Listen to their conversation as they share how #RegeneronSTS helped them #BeExtraordinary.
As the nation’s most prestigious STEM competition for high school students, the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) celebrates bright minds and nurtures them to #BeExtraordinary.
Regeneron co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer Dr. George Yancopoulos, and Olivia Krivitsky, Founder of EZA, reflect on how STS shaped their journeys and propelled their careers as leaders of science-driven organizations.
Together, Regeneron and Society for Science cultivate and champion the nation’s most promising young scientists who are fueling the breakthroughs of tomorrow.
For the past 10 years, Regeneron has been proud to serve as the title sponsor of STS, partnering with the Society to provide an opportunity for the nation’s brightest scientific minds to showcase their curiosity, creativity, and commitment to pushing the boundaries of science to help improve our world.
Indrani Das - STS 2017
“STS taught me to take risks, and it gave me the belief that taking a chance on myself could help me do good for others.”
Indrani Das won the top award in the 2017 Regeneron STS for her study of a possible approach to treating the death of neurons due to brain injury or neurodegenerative disease. Learn more about Indrani and her research.
Benjy Firester - STS 2018
 “My project for STS really nurtured my love of mathematics and love for researching and learning new fields.”
Benjy Firester won the top award in the 2018 Regeneron STS for his development of a mathematical model that uses disease data to predict how weather patterns could spread spores of the late blight fungus, which caused the Irish Potato Famine and still causes billions of dollars in crop damages annually. Learn more about Benjy’s research.
Regeneron STS serves as a catalyst for the next generation of scientists and engineers to build confidence and deepen their commitment to high-quality research, turning their early discoveries into lasting impact.
STS alumni have gone on to world-changing careers in science, earning some of the most esteemed honors – including the Nobel Prize, the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Science, and the MacArthur Fellowship – for their groundbreaking research spanning fields from AI and climate science to medicine and energy innovation.
Mary Zhu - STS 2017
“STS informed my desire to make real world, high-impact tech accessible to every college student.”
Mary created a linear programming model to project the environmental and economic impact of enforcing the carbon tax proposed during the Paris Agreement’s negotiation by the U.S. Senate’s 2015 Climate Protection and Justice Act for her 2017 Regeneron STS project. Learn more about Mary and her research.
Want more information about the Science Talent Search?
Visit the competition home page or sign up to get program updates by e-mail.