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UPenn’s Shreya Nair, Pranav Sompalle win Goldwater Scholarships
They are among 454 selected nationwide for the prestigious research award.
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Rwittika Chakraborty - Tue, 31, Mar 2026
- 03:53 EDT
- 17
Shreya Nair and Pranav Sompalle, third-year undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania / penntoday.upenn.edu/
Shreya Nair and Pranav Sompalle, third-year undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, have been awarded the 2026 Goldwater Scholarships, given to students planning research careers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics.
Ian Peng and Emily Valerio of the School of Engineering and Applied Science were also named Penn’s 2026 Goldwater Scholars.
According to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, this year’s scholars are among 454 students selected from more than 5,000 nominees representing 482 academic institutions across the United States.
Nair, from Allen, Texas, is majoring in biology and minoring in engineering entrepreneurship. She is also submatriculating in bioengineering, allowing her to begin work on a master’s degree while completing her bachelor’s degree.
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She conducts research in Ben Stanger’s laboratory under Minh Than at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, focusing on cancer interception using KRAS inhibitors in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Nair also conducts research at MD Anderson Cancer Center under the mentorship of Michael Andreeff, studying the combined use of menin inhibitors and c-MYC degraders in KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia.
At Penn, she serves as a research peer adviser for the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, is a member of the Department of Biology’s student advisory committee, and participates in the Venture Lab and Wharton Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club, where she is developing a startup.
She plans to pursue graduate studies in cancer engineering.
Sompalle, from Cleveland, Ohio, is majoring in biochemistry and biophysics and minoring in history. He is also submatriculating for a master’s degree in chemistry through the university’s Vagelos MLS program, designed for students pursuing intensive research careers.
His work focuses on making precision medicine more accessible by developing AI tools to derive diagnostic insights from low-cost imaging and improving care delivery systems.
He serves as policy and outcomes lead for Penn’s Shelter Health Outreach Program and as an undergraduate coordinator at the University City Hospitality Coalition Free Medical Clinic.
Sompalle is a U.S. Presidential Scholar and a recipient of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Award. He aims to become a physician-scientist integrating biomedical engineering, AI, and community health.
Each Goldwater Scholarship provides up to $7,500 per year for up to two years of undergraduate study.
Since the scholarship was established by Congress in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry Goldwater, the University of Pennsylvania has had 72 recipients.
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