Diya Karthik

Diya Karthik, an all-rounder junior from Bangalore, India, has been extremely passionate about STEM since middle school. A member of the New York Academy of Sciences, she has conducted research and internship work at BugWorks Research at Center for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (CCAMP India), where she discovered her love for the intersection of biotechnology and social innovation. As a constant advocate for making science more available, she went on to become a speaker at the IYC 2026

This is what motivated her to start Manam Hridaya, an organization dedicated to bridging gaps in STEM education for rural and differently-abled students in India. Her efforts have reached almost 150 students across cities and have earned Manam international support and recognition from YMBI, alongside being published in various newspapers across India. Inspired by her grandfather's experience with diabetes, Diya has also begun diabetes-focused research under the mentorship of Johns Hopkins University. She hopes to work on such intriguing topics and create change, even if it's small, throughout her life.