Honor Society® member
Rishikesh Madhuvairy
- Materials science and nanoengineering
- Class of 2029
- Houston, Texas
Member since October 2025
About
Optimistic ideaphile & Nanotech futurist.
I'm a freshman at Rice University, aiming to use my experience in optical and nanophotonic materials to innovate groundbreaking solutions to the global energy for electronics crisis.
Education
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Rice University
Materials Science and Nanoengineering
2025 – Present
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Greenwood High International School
2021 – 2025
Honors and awards
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International Baccalaureate Diploma Merit Award
Secured a perfect score of 45/45 in the IBDP May-June 2025 examinations. Top 0.4% of scorers in India, top 1% worldwide.
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RISE Global Challenge Finalist
Awarded by Schmidt Trust and Rhodes Future Scholarships for my research work at the Indian Institute of Science on zinc-oxide metamaterial nanostructures for improved solar photovoltaics.
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School Captain
Served as the President of the Student Government; Organized Bangalore's largest interschool cultural fest hosting 3000+ participants from 80 schools; Raised $15000 for vocational upskilling programs in Government-endorsed orphanages and institutions.
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Outstanding Delegate
Awarded 2nd place by Harvard MUN India for my delegation in the Tricontinental Conference
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Capgemini Innovation Award
Awarded a First Place scholarship by The Innovation Story for my Unreal Engine visualizations of the structural dynamics of a remote-operated autonomous underwater vehicle capable of detecting coral reef degradation rates using lasso regression algorithms
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Distinction Grade 7
Awarded highest possible grade (Distinction) by ABRSM for Grade 7 Classical Piano Performance
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ST Yau High School Science Award Semifinalist
Awarded for research paper on titanium-dioxide thin films for light sails that could be used in propelling photonic spacecrafts to high relativistic speeds
Goals and interests
- Career goal
Entrepreneur in energy and nano-electronic device architecture
- Outside the classroom
Jazz piano composition, Professional collegiate cricket, Badminton, Front-end Web UI development
Experience
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Head of Operations - Rice Electric Vehicle
Rice University - Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, Houston, USA
Aug 2025 – Present
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Computational Analyst and Research Assistant
Emerging Quantum & Ultrafast Materials Laboratory (EQUAL), Zhu Group, Houston, USA
Aug 2025 – May 2026
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Advanced Photonic Materials Researcher
Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, INDIA
Feb 2024 – Jul 2024
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Mentee and Project Prototyper
The Knowledge Society (TKS), Remote
Sep 2023 – Jun 2024
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Advisor and Accredited Student Researcher
Pioneer Academics, Remote
Jun 2023 – May 2024
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Chemical Statistics Intern
Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Guwahati, INDIA
May 2022 – Jul 2022
Volunteering
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Instructor in Musical Therapy
Baldwin Opportunities School
Apr 2024 – Sep 2024
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Chairman and Secretariat Member - Pakistan Flash Floods Charity Chapter
MUNity International
Aug 2022 – Dec 2022
Languages
- English (US) Advanced
- Tamil Fluent
- Spanish Fluent
- French (France) Intermediate
Additional information
Organizations
