From curious 10th grader to 1st place at a Princeton University science fair
Shaswat built a machine learning framework that predicts stem cell differentiation outcomes from RNA sequencing data. His pipeline processes gene expression data through feature extraction and ML classification to predict cell fate, helping researchers see which genes matter most in differentiation decisions. The research has implications for regenerative medicine and treating diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease.
AI & Computational Biology
1st Place, Mercer Science & Engineering Fair at Princeton University
Mercer Science & Engineering Fair, 2026
Shaswat Senthilkumar, YRI Fellow
A 10th grader at West-Windsor Plainsboro HS South passionate about computational biology and machine learning, with no research or publication experience.
1st place winner at the Mercer Science & Engineering Fair held at Princeton University with original ML research.
“YRI helped me turn my interest in computational biology into a real research project. My mentor guided me through the entire process, from understanding RNA-seq data to building ML models. Winning 1st place at Mercer Science Fair was an incredible validation of our work.”
1st place at the Mercer Science & Engineering Fair held at Princeton University
Built an ML pipeline predicting stem cell differentiation from RNA-seq data
Identified the genes most important in determining cell fate decisions
Contributed a predictive tool to regenerative medicine research
Avyay G., 1st Place Science Fair and State Qualifier