On January 7, 2026, the Society for Science & the Public announced the 2026 top 300 scholars in the 85th Regeneron Science Talent Search. These scholars were selected from more than 2,600 applications received from 826 high schools across 46 states, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and 16 other countries – a significant increase from last year.
Three Plano ISD high school seniors were named to the Top 300. The students and their schools will be awarded $2,000 each. On January 21, 40 of the 300 scholars will be named Regeneron Science Talent Search finalists. From March 5-11 all 40 finalists will compete in Washington, D.C. for more than $1.8 million in awards provided by Regeneron.
Congratulations to:
Dhroov Bharatia, Plano Senior High School, “AutoMates: Automating With Self-Learning Intelligent Agents”
Ananya Nagendra, Plano East Senior High School, “Utilizing Ants To Mitigate MSW Landfill-Generated Methane Production Through Novel Aerobic Digester System for Anthropogenic Food Waste Decomposition”
Ryan Xu, Plano West Senior High School, “LibAssembler: A Neural Framework for Library-Constrained Reconstruction of 3D Part Assemblies From a Single 2D Image”
Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders. This year’s top scholars hail from 203 American and international high schools in 34 states, Washington D.C. and China.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), a program of the Society for Science since 1942, is the nation’s most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Alumni of STS have made extraordinary contributions to science and hold more than 100 of the world’s most distinguished science and math honors, including the Nobel Prize and the National Medal of Science. Each year, 300 Regeneron STS scholars and their schools are recognized. From that select pool of scholars, 40 student finalists are invited to participate in final judging, display their work to the public, meet with notable scientists and compete for awards, including the top award of $250,000.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and novel discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges. Program alumni include recipients of the world’s most coveted science and math honors, including Nobel Prizes, National Medals of Science, MacArthur Foundation Fellowships and Fields Medals.
Top 40 finalists will be announced on January 21, 2026.