Congratulations to Rishab Gulati '27, who has earned a Silver Medal in the prestigious Lumiere Scholars Essay Competition. Selected from more than 2,100 essays submitted by students representing over 100 countries, Rishab received a $500 cash award and a $2,500 scholarship to participate in a Lumiere Research Scholar Program.

The Lumiere Research Scholar Program provides students with the opportunity to conduct advanced research through one-on-one mentorship with Ph.D. scholars from leading universities such as Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford. Participants also receive individualized guidance from writing coaches, publication strategists, and dedicated program managers.

Rishab was drawn to Lumiere because of his growing interest in artificial intelligence and its impact on science and medicine.

"I applied to Lumiere because I wanted to take my interest in AI beyond the classroom and engage with it through real research," said Rishab. "Over the past year, I've become increasingly interested in how computational tools are reshaping fields like biology and medicine, and Lumiere stood out as a genuine opportunity to explore those questions with a mentor who works in that space."

For the competition, Rishab wrote an essay examining how artificial intelligence and organoids could provide a more accurate and humane alternative to traditional animal testing in drug development. His essay argued that organoids can better replicate human organ function than animal models, while AI has the potential to transform medicine through advances such as protein structure prediction and computational drug discovery.

"The central argument was that medicine has always advanced by embracing emerging technologies before they are perfected, as long as the evidence and trajectory support their potential," Rishab explained.

Looking ahead, Rishab plans to pursue research at the intersection of AI and biomedical science.

"I'm most interested in research at the intersection of AI and biomedical science, specifically how computational tools can make drug discovery more precise and efficient," he said. "Writing this essay deepened that interest, and I'm excited by the prospect of working with a mentor to explore those ideas through an actual research project."

Congratulations, Rishab, on this outstanding international achievement!