Bergen County Academies Students Named Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalists

Bergen County Academies Students Named Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalists

Hackensack, NJ — January 21, 2026 — Bergen County Academies proudly announced today that three students have been named finalists in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) — one of the highest honors in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and mathematics competition for high school seniors.

Each year, the Regeneron Science Talent Search recognizes the nation’s most exceptional young scientific researchers. This year’s selection process began with more than 2,600 applicants, from which 300 top scholars were reviewed and narrowed to 40 finalists nationwide based on the originality, creativity, and impact of their research.

The Bergen County Academies finalists are:

• Mythreya Dharani, Paramus -12-CISSP - An Interpretable Machine Learning Framework for Robust and Practical Predictions of Cisplatin Response in Human Tumors
• Claire Jiang, Ft. Lee - A Novel In Vitro Cell Culture Model for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
• Edward Kang, Hackensack - RetinaMind: Convergent In Silico and In Vitro Evidence for the Retina as a Novel Biomarker in the Early Diagnosis of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

As finalists, the students will travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in Finalists Week from March 5-11, 2026. During this week-long program, they will present their research to expert judges, compete for awards totaling more than $1.8 million, and engage with leading scientists and the public. Final awards — including the top prize of $250,000 — will be announced at a live ceremony on March 10.

“We are immensely proud to celebrate this extraordinary class of Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists and their remarkable achievements,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science. “They represent the best young scientific minds in the country, and their work exemplifies the creativity and rigor that define this competition.”

The Regeneron Science Talent Search, in its 85th year, has a distinguished legacy of spotlighting future leaders in science and engineering. Alumni include Nobel laureates, MacArthur Fellows, and founders of influential science-driven companies — a testament to the competition’s lasting impact on the scientific community.