Hi there! My name is Lavanya, and I'm currently a college senior in Baltimore, MD. I am a Hodson Trust Scholar at Johns Hopkins University studying Chemical Engineering and Mathematics. I am passionate about sustainability and would like to explore how chemical and biological principles can be used to create environmental solutions. I hope to pursue graduate education and a career in research, teaching, and science communication. In college, I have worked in research institutes in three different countries, taken on various teaching and mentorship roles, and been involved in a variety of community programs. I am most proud of my leadership in Seedling, a Baltimore non-profit that develops programming about nutrition, sustainability, and technology for underserved youth in the city. I have also picked up hobbies including photography, gardening, and jogging. In high school, I was the co-founder and co-president of the Science National Honor Society, captain of the Science Olympiad team, and stage manager for the theatre department. I have been involved in analyzing pandemic data at the COVID Tracking Project and Piedmont Health, directing branding and outreach strategy as the chief marketing officer of global nonprofit Kara Tutoring, and advocating for educational equity as a delegate to the Global Youth Institute.

• Resident Advisor

  Higher Education · JHU Residential Life

  Jan 2024 – Present

• Chemistry and Calculus tutor

  Education · JHU PILOT

  Jan 2023 – Jan 2024

• Math Instructor

  Education · Mathnasium

  Jan 2021 – Present

• Advocacy
• Volunteering
• Philanthropy
• Entrepreneurship

• Research Assistant

  Yayuan Liu Lab @ JHU · Chemical Engineering

  2022 – Present

  Research topic:

  Electrochemical energy technologies

• DAAD RISE Intern

  Forschungszentrum Jülich · Chemical Engineering

  2025 – Present

  Research topic:

  Computational Chemistry towards Modeling Water Electrolysis

• Borlaug-Ruan Intern

  ILRI-Kenya · Biotechnology

  2022 – 2022

  Research topic:

  Biotechnology for Sustainable Animal Agriculture

• SERIUS Intern

  National University of Singapore · Chemical Engineering

  2024 – 2024

  Research topic:

  Carbon Sequestration via Clathrate Hydrates

• CIRCUIT Fellow

  JHU Applied Physics Laboratory · Computer Science

  2023 – 2024

  Research topic:

  Computational Neuroscience + Data Visualization

• Virtual Research Training Program Participant

  Seattle Children's Research Institute · Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other

  2021 – 2021

  Research topic:

  Subjects included immunology, public health, and STEM careers

• Intern (paid)

  Wake Tech STEM Academic Research and Training Program · Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology

  2020 – 2022

  Research topic:

  Year 1: Protein Structure and Function Characterization; Year 2: Patient Geomapping for Healthcare

• Student Researcher

  Duke Research in Engineering Program · Biomedical/Medical Engineering

  2021 – 2021

  Research topic:

  Developing Novel Methods of Quantifying Parkinsonian Symptoms

• Photographer

  JHU Photo Team · Photography

  2025 – Present

• Technical

  JHU Witness Theatre, JHU Barnstormers · Theatre

  2022 – Present

• Stage Manager

  GLHS Theatre · Theatre

  2020 – 2022

  Productions:

  Footloose - Stage Manager (2022); A Midsummer Night's Dream - House Manager (2021); Help Desk - Stage Manager (2021); Little Shop of Horrors - Assistant Stage Manager (2020)

• Techical Theatre Intern

  Applause! Cary Youth Theatre · Theatre

  2018 – 2020

  Productions:

  The Velveteen Rabbit - Stage Management Intern (2020); The Fall of the House of Usher - Set/Production Stage Manager (2019); The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood - Crew Chief/ASM (2019); Charlotte’s Web - Sound Intern (2019); Once on This Island - Set/Props (2018); Scraps! The Ragtime Girl of Oz - Scenery/Props Intern (2018)

• Education Lead

  Volunteering · Seedling Inc.

  2022 – Present

  Mission:

  Promoting nutrition, sustainability, and tech education in Baltimore

• Team coach

  Volunteering · Science Olympiad

  2018 – 2022

  Mission:

  Fostering a love of science in middle school children

• High School Civics Fellow

  Volunteering · You Can Vote

  2021 – 2021

  Mission:

  Educating and registering voters in NC

• Data Tracker

  Volunteering · The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic

  2020 – 2021

  Mission:

  Ensuring the quality and reliability of up-to-date statistics about the Covid-19 pandemic

• Campaign Organizer

  Advocacy · For Future Generations: ChangeNC

  2021 – Present

  Mission:

  Advocating for better public education in North Carolina

• Chief Marketing Officer and Tutor

  Volunteering · Kara Tutoring

  2019 – Present

  Mission:

  Reducing educational inequality by providing free one-on-one tutoring to underserved students from around the world; directing marketing and branding strategy to expand the outreach of the organization