Four undergraduate students – Yiming Chen ’24, Wilhem Hector, Anushka Nair, and David Oluigbo – have been selected as 2025 Rhodes Scholars and will begin fully funded postgraduate research at Oxford University in the UK. subsequent fall. Along with MIT’s two U.S. Two associates of Rhodes University, Oluigbo and Nair, have earned prestigious Worldwide Rhodes Scholarships – Chen representing the China constituency and Hector securing the coveted International Rhodes Scholarship. Hector makes history as the first Haitian national to be awarded a coveted Rhodes Scholarship, a prestigious distinction that underscores his academic excellence and potential for global impact.
Students have been assisted by Associate Dean Kim Benard and the Distinguished Fellowships team in Professional Advising and Career Development. With guidance from the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships, they secured additional mentorship and direction.
“It’s profoundly inspiring to collaborate with exceptional college students from MIT, who have achieved a great deal and simultaneously reflect on their potential impact in addressing the world’s most pressing issues,” remarks Professor Nancy Kanwisher, co-chair of the committee alongside Professor Tom Levenson. Students have poured their hearts and souls into crafting a compelling vision and honing their ability to convey it persuasively, with conviction and eloquence. We’re delighted but hardly surprised to see many of them recognized this year as finalists and winners.
Yiming Chen, a student from Beijing, China, and the University of Washington, has been recognized as one of four Rhodes Scholars from China on September 28. At Oxford University, she will undertake advanced research in engineering science, striving to push the boundaries of AI security and reliability in scientific workflows, a pursuit that aligns with her long-term goal of driving innovation in this field.
Chen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, as well as his Master of Engineering degree in Computer Science, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2024. As part of her academic pursuits, she dedicated herself to various projects focused on machine learning applications in healthcare, culminating in a master’s thesis on medical imaging in the Medical Vision group at CSAIL.
Chen collaborated with IBM Analytics to develop a novel neural framework for clinical-grade luminal segmentation in intravascular ultrasound, subsequently presenting her research at the prestigious MICCAI Machine Learning in Medical Imaging conference. As part of her work at Cleanlab, an MIT-backed startup, she developed an open-source library that ensures the reliability of visual data sets used in AI applications.
Chen served as an educational assistant in the MIT departments of mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science, earning a prestigious Teaching Excellence Award. As a seasoned educator, she had the esteemed opportunity to instruct high school students at the prestigious Hampshire School Summer Research in Math programme, and her exceptional teaching skills were further recognized when she was selected to participate in the MISTI International Teaching Laboratories in Italy.
Having spent over two decades studying the guzheng, a traditional Chinese zither, from the tender age of four, Chen held the esteemed position of president for the MIT Chinese Music Ensemble, fostering innovative collaborations between Eastern and Western music styles with the MIT Chamber Music Society, while simultaneously contributing to international cultural diplomacy through her work at the United Nations. On campus, she was particularly vibrant as an active member of various organizations, including Asymptones’ a cappella group, MIT’s Ring Committee, Ribotones, Determined Skaters Club, and the Undergraduate Affiliation Innovation Committee.
Wilhelm Hector, a senior at the time of his achievement, from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and a mechanical engineering major, was awarded an International Rhodes Scholarship on November 1st. Hector becomes the first Haitian national to earn the esteemed distinction of being named a Rhodes Scholar, securing admission to pursue a master’s degree in energy systems followed by another in education at Oxford University, with a focus on digital and social transformation initiatives. His long-term goals encompass a dual focus: spearheading Haiti’s transition to renewable energy infrastructure and integrating practical, project-based learning into the country’s national education curriculum.
At the MIT Howland Lab, Hector nurtured a passion for innovation through rigorous research, delving into the intricacies of wind energy production during active yaw control to quantify the uncertainty. Through his research on the barriers to energy projects in the U.S., he played a key role in establishing the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic, further solidifying his impact on the field. Following his in-depth analysis, Hector made significant contributions during his internship at Radia Inc. While working at DTU Wind Vitality Programs, he contributed to the development of advanced computational wind farm modeling and simulation techniques.
Outside MIT, he leads the Hector Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing academic alternatives for young people in Haiti. Over the past five years, he has successfully garnered more than $80,000 in funding to support his initiatives, including the establishment of Undertaking Manus, Haiti’s pioneering open-use engineering makerspace. Hector’s numerous service endeavours have garnered significant support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) PKG Heart, a prestigious organisation that has recognised his dedication to making a positive impact through several notable awards, including the Davis Peace Prize, the PKG Fellowship for Social Influence, and the PKG Award for Public Service.
As a highly sought-after leader, Hector co-chaired both the Pupil Events Board and the Class of 2025 Senior Ball Committee, in addition to serving as the social chair for Chocolate City and the African Students Association.
Anushka Nair, a Portland, Oregon native, is poised to earn both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in computer science and engineering, with a unique concentration in economics and artificial intelligence, come spring. She intends to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Knowledge Science at Oxford’s Web Sciences Institute. Nair strives to pioneer innovative moral AI technologies that tackle pressing societal issues, initially tackling the pressing concern of combating misinformation.
Under the supervision of Professor David Rand, Nair is developing LLM-driven fact-checking tools designed to identify subtle misinformation beyond human and automated detection capabilities? With a focus on human-AI co-reasoning, she collaborates with Professor Thomas Malone at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Collective Intelligence. Prior to this role, she conducted research at the prestigious Stanford AI and Robotics Lab on autonomous vehicle navigation, collaborated with esteemed professor Esther Duflo in economics, and analyzed microgrid load balancing at MIT’s Institute for Knowledge, Programs, and Society.
During her internship at the Government Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nair gained expertise by developing knowledge solutions and supported the launch of the High-Level Advisory Body on AI. During her tenure, she also completed an internship with Tesla’s energy division, where she contributed to the development of Autobidder, a pioneering energy trading platform, while spearheading the launch of a cutting-edge monitoring system for distributed energy sources and renewable energy facilities. Her work has garnered her esteemed recognition as a leading scholar in the fields of social and moral duties of computing, earning her a prestigious title in the United States. Presidential Scholar.
As President of the MIT Society of Ladies Engineers and MIT and Harvard Ladies in AI, Nair has effectively led outreach initiatives to inspire and mentor young women in STEM fields, fostering a culture of inclusivity and empowerment. As a testament to her academic excellence, she also held the prestigious positions of president for both MIT’s Honors Societies, Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.
David Olugbio, a senior at Washington, is double-majoring in synthetic intelligence and resolution making, with a minor in mind and cognitive sciences. At Oxford, he will pursue a dual Master’s degree in Utilized Digital Health and Modeling for Global Health. After completing this milestone, Oluigbo intends to pursue a career in medicine by attending medical college, ultimately becoming a physician-scientist who utilizes artificial intelligence to address healthcare disparities in underserved global communities.
Since his inaugural year at MIT, Oluigbo has collaborated with Ev Fedorenko on neural and brain analysis at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research, while also working with Susanna Mierau’s Synapse and Community Development Group at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Collaborations with Mierau yielded multiple publications and a thought-provoking poster presentation at the prestigious Federation of European Societies’ annual conference.
During a summer internship at the National Institutes of Health Medical Center, Oluigbo developed and trained machine-learning models on CT scans to facilitate automated detection of neuroendocrine tumors, earning first authorship on a proceeding paper presented at the 2024 annual meeting of the International Society for Optics and Photonics. During his summer break, Oluigbo also pursued a internship at the Anyscale Learning for All Laboratory within the prestigious MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
Oluigbo is a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Techniques Administrator Officer for MIT-EMS. As a prominent figure in his field, he serves as a guide for Code for Good, while also holding various leadership positions, including consultant to the MIT Schwarzman School of Computing Undergraduate Advisory Group, and government roles with the Undergraduate Affiliation, the MIT Mind and Cognitive Society, and the MIT Operating Membership.
