For Anika Roy, a 4th-year Computer Science student at IIIT Hyderabad, the summer of 2024 was nothing short of transformative.

When Anika learnt that she had been selected for the summer 2024 Khorana Program for Scholars, she was thrilled. Growing up with both parents as doctors, she was raised in an environment that balanced intellectual rigour with a steady resilience to both success and adversity.

The Khorana Scholarship, instituted in memory of Nobel Laureate Dr. Har Gobind Khorana, provides exceptional Indian students the opportunity to gain exposure to cutting-edge research at leading U.S. universities. “For scholarship awardees, there are many emails that go out to professors in your domain of research”, explains Anika. “Usually the process is quite cumbersome. But I got really lucky. One of my first emails went to Prof. Caroline Uhler at MIT, who responded positively,” Anika recalls. “Her research aligned perfectly with my own interests, and it felt surreal to have the opportunity to work with her.”

Settling into Life at MIT
After weeks of preparation — visa application, travel logistics, college paperwork, and finding accommodation—Anika’s three-month internship began on June 14, 2024. “It was during the orientation program that I realised the reality of it all. The campus was beautiful, and the passion everyone had for their research was contagious. Most conversations and meal time banter revolved around their current work or something they read and it was a very refreshing environment to witness“, she exclaims. Anika worked under the guidance of Dr. Bijan Mazaheri and Prof. Caroline Uhler at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, exploring interdisciplinary approaches involving machine learning, statistics, and causal inference.

Where Innovation Meets Community
“My mentor, Dr. Bijan, was incredibly supportive and always prioritised my learning. He gave me the freedom to explore while offering guidance whenever I lost focus on the problem. In every meeting and interaction, I felt truly heard and valued. I had so many opportunities to attend talks by renowned speakers from around the world, followed by engaging Q&A sessions. People would break into discussion groups and I got to interact with a lot of researchers.”, she explains.

“The community offered vibrant clubs and workshops, ranging from calligraphy and salsa dancing to basket-making. My personal favourite was board game nights with MIT’s Strategic Games Society.”

Among her most cherished memories is the Independence Day celebration on July 4th. “Boston comes alive with its iconic fireworks display over the Charles River,” she says with a smile. “The entire campus was buzzing with energy, and vacationers lined up on boats to catch the show. It was magical.”

How IIITH shaped her journey
“When I joined IIITH, one of my goals was to understand what research entails, even though I wasn’t entirely certain about the specific area I wanted to explore. So I chose to focus on exploring diverse collaborations and gaining as much exposure as possible. I’ve learnt a lot in college but most importantly, IIITH has taught me to not be afraid of learning new things on the go”.

In addition to academics, Anika actively contributed to campus life. She was part of Lean In IIIT-H Chapter, an organisation focused on bridging the gender opportunity gap in tech and a member of the Apex Committee as a mentor, ensuring a smooth transition into college for new students. In the Electronics and Robotics Club, as a member of the core team and Design Head, she helped revitalise activities post-pandemic, mentoring peers in technical skills and hosting successful events. After being elected as the batch representative in the student parliament, she took on the role of the Health Secretary, where she improved campus healthcare by ensuring 24/7 nurse availability, organising health camps, and addressing student grievances. She also participated in multiple Kathak recitals, and inter-house table tennis and badminton competitions.

“While I tend to be a bit introverted, I’ve made a lot of good friends who share my motivations and ambitions. We have supportive seniors and for that, I am very grateful,” she shares. Anika also enjoys campus events like Holi and kite flying, and larger celebrations, such as Felicity, which she considers an incredible three-day stress buster. Netflix is a staple diet especially after exams and she enjoys binge watching feel-good sitcoms like Friends or Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “Music is my go-to for everything and I especially enjoy listening to classical piano whilst studying”.

The high achiever was a recipient of the Generation Google Scholarship 2023, given to around 100 female students as well as the Nutanix Advancing WIT Scholarship, awarded to four girls all over India. In Class 11, she earned the prestigious Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) scholarship, a highly competitive, DST-funded program by the Government of India. Additionally, she received the Reliance Foundation Scholarship 2022, recognising her potential as a future leader in technology. Recently, Anika’s team also claimed first place at Megathon, the college’s hackathon.

Looking Ahead
“For my thesis, I am working on complex networks and dynamics. Last year, my paper with Prof. Chittaranjan Hens was published in Chaos. I also have an amazing ongoing collaboration on Autoformalising Mathematics with Ameya Prabhu, one of my seniors who is now a post-doctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute.“

“All these experiences add up and help me broaden my horizons, by learning about research areas that I hadn’t even heard of before”, explains Anika. “Regarding the future, while I’m still happily exploring, I’ve grown more confident in my own abilities to tackle increasingly challenging problems. That in itself makes me very proud!”

The People Who Shaped Me
Anika credits her high school math teacher, Sunil Rana, for inspiring her to give research a shot. “He was one of the few who believed in me, even when I was convinced I couldn’t solve a problem, to the point of being stubborn about it,” she laughs. “Of course, my family has always been my rock, and my school friends have been there through it all. I’m also deeply grateful to my advisor, Prof. Chittaranjan Hens, for his constant support and guidance in all my endeavours.”