PhD students Arya Rao and Ananthan Sadagopan of the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have been named recipients of the 2026 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. The prestigious merit-based program, now in its 28th year, honors the potential of immigrants and children of immigrants to make significant contributions to United States society and culture.
Selected from a record-breaking pool of 3,070 applicants, Rao and Sadagopan are among 30 fellows chosen nationally. Each will receive up to $90,000 in funding over two years to support their graduate studies, joining an extraordinary community of scholars that spans 16 graduate programs across the country.
Arya Rao grew up in rural Northern Michigan, the daughter of Konkani immigrants from India who served as local physicians. Inspired by her family’s legacy of education and service, Rao entered Columbia University at age 16, where she captained the water polo team and earned top honors in biochemistry and computer science.
Now a student in the joint Harvard Medical School/MIT MD/PhD program, Rao works with professors Pardis Sabeti and Sangeeta Bhatia to use evolution as a lens for therapeutic design. Her research focuses on developing artificial intelligence (AI) methods that "read" the genetic record to guide new clinical interventions. Beyond the lab, Rao is an accomplished conductor and saxophonist, serving as the assistant artistic director for the Longwood Chorus, an ensemble of healthcare professionals.
The child of immigrants from Chennai, India, Ananthan Sadagopan was raised in Westborough, Massachusetts, in a household that emphasized the Vedas, Tamil culture, and rigorous education. After winning a gold medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, he graduated from MIT in just three years with degrees in chemistry and biology.
Currently a Hertz and Herchel Smith Fellow at Harvard Griffin GSAS, Sadagopan’s research focuses on de-risking new therapeutic strategies for cancer. His previous work—already patented and published in Cell and Nature Chemical Biology—includes developing machine learning tools for cancer prediction and drugging the highly mutated TP53 gene. Sadagopan is also committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists in the lab.
Since its founding in 1997 by Paul and Daisy Soros, the fellowship has provided more than $80 million in funding to support New Americans. This year’s class represents the most competitive cycle in the program’s history, highlighting the vital role immigrants play in driving American innovation and discovery.
Congratulations to the 2026 fellows from the Harvard Griffin GSAS community!
The preceding article was conceived, engineered, and edited by Paul Massari. Draft copy generated by Gemini. Information from the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship website was also incorporated into this announcement.
