About me
Radhika Unnikrishnan is a passionate advocate for STEAM education, a dedicated researcher, and a committed community leader. A current dual-enrolled senior at Weddington High School, Radhika serves as President of the Math Honors Society, HOSA, and Science Olympiad for her highschool chapters.
A research enthusiast, Radhika has conducted research at prestigious universities, contributing to the fields of genomics, bioinformatics, and evolutionary biology. At Georgetown University’s Lombardi Cancer Research Center, she interned in the Genomics and Epigenomics Lab, contributing to research on Liver Cancer-specific multi-omics data and co-authoring a paper for the annual IEEE BIBM conference. At UNC Chapel Hill, she studied the effects of choline status on cognitive function, personally investigating the role the Mecp2 gene has on Rett Syndrome. Additionally, at Duke University, she contributed to research on SwallowTail butterfly morphology and developed a custom macro to improve the efficiency of data collection.
As the Co-Captain of YETI Robotics, Radhika has led a team of over 70 members, managed a six figure budget, and spearheaded outreach initiatives impacting over 4.4 million people. She founded and manages "Rise with YETI," a program designed to make STEM education accessible to underserved communities, encouraging over 200 students to explore their passions in science. As a National STEM Advocate, she has championed the importance of the CHIPS and Science Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act, striving to give every student equitable access to STEM education. Developing curriculum for Prepare, a program that has educated over 20,000 students in rural India, Radhika works to make STEM education more accessible globally.