2 Westchester County Teens Among 40 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 Finalists

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — The 40 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026, the country's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors, include two students from the Hudson Valley.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Society for Science said the 2026 finalists were selected from over 2,600 highly qualified entrants based on their projects' scientific rigor and their potential to become world-changing scientists and leaders. Finalists were selected by a national jury of professional scientists from a pool of 300 scholars, who were announced earlier this month.

SEE ALSO: 23 Hudson Valley Students Named Regeneron Scholars

Jashvi Desai, 18, of Yorktown High School, was recognized for her project titled, "Neuroinflammatory Signatures and Compensatory Prefrontal Mechanisms in Long COVID-19: Insights From 7T MRI and Cognitive Modeling."

During her research, Desai studied brain scans of people with long COVID and found that they had smaller memory-related brain regions, and also thicker outer layers in other brain areas. A better understanding of how long COVID affects the brain could lead to better treatments.

Desai is active in the Yorktown community, as a part of the Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and a junior coach for the summer swim team.

Khushi Karthikeyan, 18, of Ardsley High School, made the finalist round with their project, "Probing Potential Stellar Formation Pathways of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes."

Karthikeyan tested whether huge, old, metal-poor stars could be an early stage of a black hole with a series of simulation experiments. Their work sheds light on the mysterious life cycles of black holes.

In addition to playing guitar, they enjoy studying dead languages and playing Dungeons & Dragons.

"At Regeneron, we believe that scientific innovation is essential to addressing the world's greatest challenges, and the Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists represent the brightest young minds working to shape a better future. These 40 students have demonstrated remarkable creativity, originality, and leadership in their scientific pursuits," said George D. Yancopoulos,  M.D., Ph.D., co-Founder, co-Chairman, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron, and a 1976 top winner. "We are thrilled to celebrate their achievements and fuel their journey to advance scientific discovery. I look forward to seeing how their passion and dedication will drive meaningful progress for society in the years to come."

Finalists will participate in a weeklong competition in March, during which they will undergo a rigorous judging process that goes beyond their own research to encompass other scientific disciplines and compete for more than $1.8 million in awards. They will also have the opportunity to interact with leading scientists and share their research during a "Public Day" event on March 8.

Each finalist is awarded at least $25,000, and the top 10 awards will range from $40,000 to $250,000.

The 2026 finalists represent 35 schools across 15 states. The full list of 40 finalists can be found here.

"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 and Executive Publisher of Science News. "As they build on a powerful 85-year legacy of scientific innovation, they are propelled by the strength and support of a dynamic scientific community."

The top 10 Regeneron Science Talent Search 2026 winners will be announced during a live-streamed awards ceremony on March 10. More than $3 million in awards will be distributed throughout the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Finalists may use their award prize money solely for educational purposes and can choose for those funds to be released directly to their college or university. The top 300 scholars, each of whom receive $2,000, may use their awards as they see fit; each of their schools are also awarded $2,000 to support math and science programs, a critical investment toward their future in STEM, and our nation's future as a hub of innovation and progress.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search, a program of the Society for Science since 1942, is the country's oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Every year, around 2,000 student entrants submit original research in critically important scientific fields of study and are judged by leading experts in their fields. Unique among high school competitions in the U.S. and around the world, the Regeneron Science Talent Search focuses on identifying, inspiring and engaging the nation's most promising young scientists who are creating the ideas that could solve society's most urgent challenges.

Many past winners continue to pursue innovation for the good of society and the planet, with program alumni receiving some of the world's most coveted science and math honors, including 13 Nobel laureates, 23 MacArthur Fellows, eight Breakthrough Prize winners, and founders of influential science-driven companies such as Regeneron.

In 2017, Regeneron became the third sponsor of the Science Talent Search to help reward and celebrate the best and brightest young minds and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM as a way to positively impact the world. Through its 10-year, $100 million commitment, Regeneron nearly doubled the overall award distribution to $3.1 million annually, increasing the top award to $250,000 and doubling the awards for the top 300 scholars to $2,000 and their schools to $2,000 for each enrolled scholar to inspire more young people to engage in science.