Introducing the 2026 High School Summer Research Cohort
This year’s high school summer research cohort is made up of twenty eight students who will each conduct research with one of nine faculty mentors. They will spend five weeks diving into topics at the intersection of math and politics. We look forward to seeing all they accomplish!
Ronit Banga is a rising senior at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania with interests in finance, entrepreneurship, and applied mathematics. He is particularly interested in how data and quantitative analysis can be used to better understand economic systems, public policy, and decision-making. At IMD, he looks forward to exploring real-world datasets and using mathematical approaches to analyze democratic systems and the structures that shape them.
Arlan Bartfeld is a rising senior in Miami, Florida, fascinated by Computer Science, Political Science, and Math. He enjoys analyzing polling data, viewing demographic trends, and creating his own election predictions. He is extremely excited to conduct research with like-minded peers at IMD in Political Data Science, an area he is deeply passionate about.
Reese Cartwright is a rising senior at Vanguard High School in Florida. She’s especially interested in how mathematical reasoning can help us understand social and educational policy, and loves thinking about how systems and structures shape real‑world outcomes. She’s excited to explore how data and quantitative tools can support stronger, more equitable democratic processes at IMD this summer.
Cloe Chai is a rising senior at Proof School in San Francisco, California. She’s interested in exploring how theoretical mathematics can become a tool in the fields of social science, electoral politics, and economics. She’s grateful and excited to learn and work at IMD this summer!
Richard Chen is a rising senior from Saratoga High, situated on the California coast. He is interested in political science, especially approaching it using applied research methods. This summer, he hopes to uncover how mathematics can model real-world democratic issues and inform decisions that protect our freedoms.
Jenny Chu is a rising senior at The Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas. She’s broadly interested in patterns of human connection and applied math modeling, and how they can be explored together to inform a more diverse and equitable America. Beyond STEM, she deeply enjoys writing poetry and making Spotify playlists. She’s excited to learn and work with IMD this summer!
Eugenia Evangelinos is a rising senior at Phillips Academy Andover. She is passionate about applied math and how it can be used to improve people’s lives. She has always been an avid reader of the news and is excited to combine her interest in understanding government policies with her love for all things math at IMD this summer!
Raina Gao is a rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. She has long been interested in mathematics and human behavior and has become increasingly interested in public policy. At IMD, she is especially excited to use data and mathematical models to study representation and fairness, and she hopes her research can help inform future policy decisions.
Arjun Grandhe is a rising senior from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He first developed an interest in politics through Speech & Debate, and has always been interested in using math to model real world issues. At IMD, he hopes to improve his modeling skills and learn more about the American political system.
Brady Kanter is a rising senior at Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, from San Francisco, CA. He is interested in learning more about the human side of numbers, how math is another lens through which to gain insight into society. He believes that participating in research with IMD will allow his to explore real-world applications of statistics and how they influence various aspects of the political atmosphere, including policy changes, voting patterns, and more.
Siddharth Karuturi is a rising senior from Illinois with a strong passion for economics and mathematics. At IMD, he is excited to explore how these disciplines intersect with democracy, public policy, and government in the United States. He is especially interested in research, competition mathematics, and applying quantitative thinking to real-world societal challenges. Outside of academics, Siddharth enjoys watching comedy films and playing basketball.
Islam Khalaf is a rising senior from Cairo, Egypt. He plans to study data science and machine learning, with a specific interest in how data intersects with finance, politics, and human behavior. Outside of academics, he enjoys weightlifting and training mixed martial arts.
Alexander Kiselgof is a rising senior at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City. He is passionate about applied mathematics and hopes to pursue it in college and beyond through research. Alex is especially interested in bioinformatics and public health, and he is excited to learn how mathematical tools can be used to better understand real-world issues that affect communities. Through the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy’s summer program, he looks forward to exploring the connection between applied math, public policy, and meaningful social change.
Om Lala is a rising senior at Gretchen Whitney High in Cerritos, California. He’s interested in all walks of mathematics, but he’s currently most interested in Game Theory and Differential Geometry. He’s deeply interested in Machine Learning, where he works specifically on problems in AI Safety. Om is Secretary General of his school’s MUN program, Class President, and actively involved in local policy work. Om is excited to utilize his mathematical and computational toolset to explore interesting problems in Public Policy and Political Science with IMD!
Jason Lee is a rising senior at Dwight-Englewood School in New Jersey. He is interested in how mathematics can help address societal challenges, from public health to institutional fairness in democratic systems. Using quantitative, data-driven approaches, he seeks to identify where such systems fall short and explore reforms that strengthen processes and promote fairness.
Wenhao Lu is a rising senior at Millburn High School in New Jersey. He has always been interested in math, AI, and social good, and is excited to explore their intersection this summer at IMD. He is also interested in AI safety and strengthening democracy by making systems more accessible and less of a black box.
Sasha Ordukhanyan is a rising senior at Stuyvesant High School in New York City. He is a member of both his school’s math team and math modeling team, and is very interested in all the ways in which math can be applied to solve real-world problems. He looks forward to gaining more experience conducting research and modeling real-world issues at IMD. Outside of math, he enjoys playing the piano and is an avid Knicks fan. A fun fact about him is that he also speak Russian, Armenian, and Spanish.
Soham Pradhan is interested in mathematics as a foundation for thinking rigorously about complex systems, especially in areas like probability and optimization that directly connect to machine learning. In ML, he’s drawn to building models that learn from data in meaningful ways, and he’s also interested in how these tools intersect with governance, particularly how data-driven systems can improve decision-making, policy design, and institutional accountability.
Danica Scofield is a rising senior at Blaine High School in Minnesota. She is interested in politics, public policy, and addressing real-world challenges. At IMD, she is very excited to research the intersection of mathematics and political science, particularly how data can contribute to more equitable outcomes for underrepresented communities. Outside of her academic interests, Danica is a competitive pianist who enjoys performing for large audiences.
Taison Scofield is a rising senior from Blaine High School, MN. He is passionate about mathematics (especially combinatorics and probability), and the use of quantitative reasoning to better understand complex societal systems. At IMD, he is excited to explore how mathematical models and data-driven research can increase equality and solve paradoxes in voting systems. Taison enjoys math competitions, cello, and tennis.
Mrinalini Sensarma is a rising senior at Inventure Academy in Bangalore, India. She has always loved both mathematics and the social sciences, and is especially fascinated by the intersection of mathematics, economics, and democratic systems. Curious about how data and quantitative reasoning can be used to better understand societal challenges, she is excited to explore the application of mathematical ideas to real-world political questions at IMD.
Stella Seong is a rising senior at Phillips Academy in MA, but usually resides in the suburbs of Northern NJ. She dedicates her free time to compiling pink noise playlists, buying semi-permanent hair dye, playing Redactle, and doing some occasional math. Her favorite perfect square is 49 or 81.
Pragyan Shukla is a high school researcher from India with a strong focus on pure mathematics, particularly number theory. He is currently engaged in research-oriented learning and mentorship through leading academic environments, including work connected with premier research institutes in India. Pragyan is deeply interested in foundational problems in mathematics and in promoting early research culture among young students, especially from underrepresented regions. He is excited to contribute to and grow within an international summer research community.
Emma Wong is a rising junior from Long Island, New York. She has interests in community advocacy and public policy, and has previously interned on finance and voter outreach branches on political campaigns. She also is passionate about research on social issues and public health disparities. She looks forward to meeting and working with the rest of IMD’s 2026 High School Research cohort!
Andy Zhang is a current junior at Basis Independent Fremont. He is interested in machine learning and linear algebra. Additionally, he enjoys playing badminton with his friends and going for runs.
Zifei Zhao is a rising senior at Langley High School in McLean, VA. She is passionate about using math and computer science to create quantitative models that explore real-world problems. At IMD, she hopes to research how math modelling can address modern issues in democracy.
Zifan Zhao is a rising senior at Langley High School in McLean, Virginia. He is passionate about mathematics, computer science, current events, and history. At IMD, he hopes to apply mathematical modeling to governmental processes to find solutions for the challenges our democracy faces today.
Paige Zhu is a rising senior at Phillips Academy Andover interested in math and statistics. She is excited to get involved with the IMD program and learn more about the applications of math in politics. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, and making Spotify playlists.
IMD is excited to host these students and supervise their research this summer. Stay tuned for more updates about the program!
