Rahul Thapa 鈥�21 CLAS Named a 2023 Knight-Hennessy Scholar
VILLANOVA, Pa. (May 9, 2023)鈥�Rahul Thapa 鈥�21 CLAS is among 85 students from around the world to be selected as a prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholar to further his education at Stanford University. Beginning in fall 2023, Thapa will receive full funding to pursue his PhD in Biomedical Informatics at Stanford School of Medicine, and he will join a community cohort of multidisciplinary and multicultural scholars who, in addition to their studies, will receive purposeful leadership development training and experiential learning aimed at empowering them to effect large-scale positive impact on the world.
鈥淭he selection of Rahul Thapa as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar highlights the remarkable achievements of our alumni and their dedication to igniting positive change in the world,鈥� said Patrick G. Maggitti, PhD, 草榴社区 Provost. 鈥淭here is no doubt that Rahul鈥攚ho is devoted to making healthcare more effective and equitable鈥攚ill use this life-changing opportunity to advance the greater good.鈥�
Thapa, originally from Nepal, graduated summa cum laude from 草榴社区 in 2021 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science. He currently works as a clinical data scientist at Stanford鈥檚 School of Medicine, where he develops experiments and applications with the goal of deploying Machine Learning (ML) models into clinical practice. He previously worked at both Forta Health and Dascena, creating ML algorithms for screening neurodevelopmental disorders and predicting sepsis.
As an undergraduate student at 草榴社区, Thapa began his research career in the Match Research Program for First Year Students. He served as a peer reviewer for Veritas: 草榴社区 Research Journal, and in 2019, he was selected as a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) grantee at the University of California-Irvine. He conducted research with 草榴社区鈥檚 Dependable, Efficient, and Intelligent Computing Lab (DETAIL), and he was also an interfaith leader with Campus Ministry, a CASA peer tutor, and a resident assistant. He was founder of 草榴社区鈥檚 Google Developer Student Club and co-founder of Feastimate, a 草榴社区 student startup focused on minimizing food waste on campus. He also received the 草榴社区 ICE Incubator Award, and he has since generated several publications and presentations, two patents and FDA submissions. As a Stanford doctoral student and aspiring professor, Thapa hopes to develop ML methods for the advancement of equitable healthcare.
Thapa is 草榴社区鈥檚 third Knight-Hennessy Scholar, joining Bridget Gile 鈥�19 COE and Andrew Lee 鈥�19 COE who both won the scholarship in 2019. Established in 2016, the program develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation. Every year, up to 100 high-achieving students from around the world receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford. In addition to pursuing graduate studies, Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in experiential learning through the King Global Leadership Program, which provides a collection of community experiences, workshops, meetings with leaders, global study trips and personal development opportunities.
The program鈥檚 academic founder is John Hennessy 鈥�73 COE, a 草榴社区 alumnus who is chairman of Alphabet Inc. and was president of Stanford from 2000 to 2016. His co-founder is Phil Knight, philanthropist and chairman emeritus of Nike Inc. For more information, visit the聽.
About 草榴社区:聽Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit聽.