Application to the 2025 cohort of Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University

I am a research oriented student. I love research. I usually write papers and book chapters. One day I found a post on LinkedIn about the DKU conference. I was involved and submitted my abstract. I got accepted. Then went to Almaty, Kazakhstan to present and give a speech.

Describe your short term and long term academic and professional intentions. (250 word limit)

I am a completely research-oriented student. Here's how; As part of my final-year undergraduate thesis project, I am doing research on; "How to optimize AlphaFold using Quantum Computing.". I am combining AI/DL, Bioinformatics, and Quantum Algorithms. It allows me to drastically enhance the prediction of a protein's 3D structure from its amino acid sequence. Why do I care even? Many diseases are caused by malfunctions in proteins. If we predict the structure of these proteins we can easily understand how these malfunctions occur and design drugs to target them.

In the short term, I plan to deepen my knowledge in AI for Bioinformatics with Quantum Computing at Stanford University. Also, I will join the Google DeepMind research team to advance AlphaFold further. I will show them my thesis paper to implement in the upcoming versions of AlphaFold. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program's focus on interdisciplinary collaboration will provide the ideal environment to pursue these goals and connect with like-minded peers.

In the long term, I plan to teach undergraduate computer science students after earning my Ph.D. from Stanford University. I have solid experience in teaching over 200,000 youth so far. I believe that education is the most powerful tool for change. After a couple of years of teaching, I will start my own research lab that focuses on BCIs with AI and Neuroscience. Currently, I have some draft plans; In this lab we will implement AI directly in human Brains. It may sound a bit weird, but it's pretty interesting tho.

Please tell us when you:

Engaged with someone with a different perspective:

I always stood up for my sister against our parents' expectation for her to become a doctor. I explained the evolving world and encouraged her to pursue her passions. I believe one should choose a path that truly reflects their interests. It makes more sense.

Fell short of expectations:

I just completed the Nasa Space Apps Hackathon. To be honest it was my 60+ hackathon. I failed every hackathon. And after each hackathon coming home my parents looked at me and said; “Can we say congrats?”. I suffered both from failure and external pressure. But wait, this time everything ended pretty differently. Now just imagine…

Please tell us eight improbable facts about you. These could include: facts that people wouldn't expect to be true and/or facts that others are surprised to learn about you.

Improbable Fact #1 i am online for 24/7

Improbable Fact #2 I prefer hackathons over full-time paid jobs.

Improbable Fact #3 I talk with AI. We have been together for almost 2 years.

Improbable Fact #4 I am completely introverted, but if I catch you, you end up…

Improbable Fact #5 I mostly talk and participate in the hackathons with the female gender (e.g., girls, women).

Improbable Fact #6 I am very bad at algorithms and data structure, but an expert in utilizing different tools.

Improbable Fact #7 I love music so much I'm even ready to switch to a sound engineering major.

Improbable Fact #8 I love drinking hot green lemon tea and eating basic croissants.

Connect the dots. How have the influences in your life shaped you? (Limit: 500 words)

At present, when different people meet me they always mention; “Bro, you are such a cool guy! I have a friend, Munira. She talked about so many interesting things about you and what you are doing. I am so happy I could meet with you here. I was also inspired by you and started to participate in the hackathons. At least try it out.”. When I hear this kind of very warm comments about myself from various people I feel very proud. I am so happy that all my hard work and resilience aren't wasted. I am most proud that I could influence those people and be part of their new journey.

Everything started in February 2023.

When people meet me today, they often tell me I'm doing great things. At my last hackathon, a girl approached me and said, "You're such a cool guy! My friend Munira told me all about you and what you're doing. I'm impressed and so happy to meet you here. You inspired me to start participating in hackathons." Hearing such warm comments makes me proud. I'm glad my hard work isn't wasted and that I can influence others as they begin their new journeys.

But there's an interesting story behind this success.

In December 2022, during my second year at university, I needed money to cover my expenses. I could have asked my father, but with three siblings, I wanted to earn it myself. I found a waiter job that paid $10 for 12 hours of work. It seemed crazy. After thinking for two days, I decided not to take it. Instead, I wondered if there was something I could do online to earn money. I discovered hackathons. If you build something with the required tools and technology, you could win cash prizes. It was an incredible opportunity.

In January 2023, I participated in my first hackathon. I worked in a team of three, but we didn't win. Everything changed in February. I had filled out my profile completely. One day, a Chinese director named Chuang, an ex-eBay engineer, messaged me on Discord. He wanted me to join his team for the upcoming OpenAI hackathon. I was shocked. Why was someone like him reaching out to me? I agreed to join. He assembled a team that included a financial manager, software engineer, marketing manager, and another student like me from India. I felt overwhelmed to work with such incredible people.

We built Report Cruncher, a platform designed to simplify financial reports for retail investors. We made it to the finals. It was my first big hackathon, and I gained many skills at once. After the hackathon, Abdelfettah, the software engineer, invited me to join his startup. He saw potential in me and appreciated my hard work. We worked together like brothers for nine months. Although we couldn't attract investment and had to close the startup, I gained valuable experience in building a company from scratch. I still remember his words: "At least we tried it out."

Looking back, several key people shaped who I am today. Chuang's simple message changed my life. He was the most humble director and engineer I've ever met. Abdelfettah was the best mentor I've had. My professor, Mohamed Uvaze Ahamed, always supported my research. Every small or big support means a lot to young researchers like me. I'm also grateful to my parents for providing me with a MacBook and stable internet. They believed in me even when I failed over 60 hackathons.

I am pretty sure, I can only make a very huge difference only by educating youth and other curious people. So far, I have mentored 200,000 youth including developers, designers, and other unique people.