Devarshi is a junior studying Neuroscience. He is leading a research project analyzing single-cell RNA-sequencing data to identify molecular mechanisms causing resistance to radiation therapy in pediatric brain tumors. By addressing the limitations of current therapies, Devarshi hopes to help children and their families fight this devastating disease. Devarshi credits his clinical experiences with these patients during his Ramnath Fellowship as his motivation to push through the inevitable setbacks in science and propel his research forward. His thesis is titled Investigating Mechanisms of Radioresistance in H3.3-G34R Pediatric High-Grade Gliomas.
When asked what meaning the Astronaut Scholarship means to him, Devarshi stated, "I am extremely honored to have been selected as an Astronaut Scholar this year. I am particularly excited to join the strong community that the ASF has developed to learn from other undergraduate researchers from all areas of STEM. I'm also excited to attend the Innovators Symposium & Gala this August in Houston to meet up with other scholars and meet some astronauts!"
Devarshi was also a recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship earlier this year. He applied for these awards in order to bring recognition to the collective fight he and others are putting up against glioma. He hopes this recognition can remind patients and their families that people are still fighting, even though improvements in treatment have been slow. He plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D focusing on the intersection between bioinformatics and cancer biology to advance targeted therapies for brain tumors.
He would like to thank Dr. Maria Castro, Dr. Pedro Lowenstein, Dr. Santiago Haase, Dr. Stephen Carney, Dr. Maria Luisa Varela, Dr. Kaushik Banerjee, Dr. Anzar Mujeeb, Nigel Lang, Dr. Marta Edwards, Dr. YingXiang Li, Anna Argento, Molly West, Claire Tronrud, Brandon McClellan, Dr. Jayakrishnan Nandakumar, Dr. Cristina Mitrea, Dr. Steven Kalkanis, Dr. Peter Fecci, Dr. Anoop Patel, Dr. Shawn Hervey-Jumper, Dr. Mariella Filbin, and Dr. Carl Koschmann for supporting his scientific and personal development. Additionally, he would like to thank his family, in particular, his parents, for their endless support, and the patients and families who have graciously supported the lab’s research.
