Gitanjali Rao
United States
Expertise:
Youth Activist
Youth Science Prodigy
Gitanjali Rao was recognized as the United States' Top Young Scientist and received an EPA Presidential Award for inventing her device, Tethys, a tool for early detection of lead. This adds to her collection of inventions, including Epione, a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and Kindly, an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and natural language processing.
She was honored as one of Forbes' “30 Under 30 in Science” in 2019 and վ’s Top Young Innovator and Time Kid of the Year for her innovations and STEM workshops, which she conducts globally, inspiring over 60,000 students in 40 countries across six continents. She often presents on the topics of innovation and the importance of STEM in global and corporate forums.
Rao is the author of the book Young Innovator's Guide to STEM, available in five languages, which guides students and educators through a five-step innovation process. She was honored as one of the United States' Top Youth Volunteers by Prudential in 2021, and was appointed as a UNICEF Youth Advocate for using science for solving social problems, such as cyberbullying, and developing solutions for environmental protection. She recently received a grant as a National Geographic Young Explorer to expand her workshops.