Awards

Recognition and honors

Awards grouped by area, with the most recent and most significant first.

Research and scientific recognition

Research excellence

Emerging Student Researcher of the Year

NY Academy of Sciences • 2025

Selected by the Academy’s community as one of five Emerging Student Researchers of the Year, from over 8,000 eligible students in more than 100 countries, for leadership and contributions to the Junior Academy. Nominated by a teammate and honored on April 22, 2025.

“He shared insight and creative solutions to the complex problems we faced in crafting such an innovative solution. What sets Mohammad apart as a future STEM leader is his resilience, ability to think critically under pressure, and his unwavering commitment to supporting his team.”
— Nominating teammate, NY Academy of Sciences Junior Academy

Poster presentation

Outstanding Poster Presentation Award

American Chemical Society (ACS) NERD • 2025

Awarded Outstanding Poster Presentation at the Northeast Regional Discussion (NERD) 2025 for the poster “Bispecific DuoBody Antibody Targeting 4-1BB on Cancer Cells and PD-L1 on T-Cells for Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC),” co-authored with Gaurav Sharma of Eigen Sciences.

Science fair

Medal of High Honors and Office of Naval Research Award

Terra Science Fair • 2025

Awarded the Medal of High Honors for outstanding research impact and scientific communication, and received the Office of Naval Research Award.

Conference presentation

Presenter, SmallSat Education Conference

Kennedy Space Center (NASA) • 2025

Studied variation in solar-panel efficiency across altitude with a high-altitude balloon payload (SOLARIS) and presented the findings at the SmallSat Education Conference held October 25–26, 2025 at Kennedy Space Center.

Team award

Project of Distinction, Multiple-Sclerosis Health Wearable

NY Academy of Sciences, Junior Academy Challenge • 2024

Led ideation and implementation for an international student team whose multiple-sclerosis health wearable was named a Project of Distinction.

Team award

1st Place, Asteroid-Mining Project

NY Academy of Sciences, Junior Academy Challenge • 2023

Led ideation and implementation for an international student team whose asteroid-mining project won 1st Place.

Competitions

Competition

1st Place, AI and Intelligent Systems

WNY Turing Challenge • 2026

With teammate Mohammad Aasim Khan, presented NexusOS and placed 1st internationally in the AI and Intelligent Systems category.

Competition

2nd Place and Honorable Mention, Student Showcase

Computer Science for High Schoolers (CS4HS), Buffalo State • 2025

Presented a computer science project accepted to the 2025 CS4HS Student Showcase and Competition at SUNY Buffalo State, together with teammate Mohammad Aasim Khan, and received a 2nd Place trophy and an Honorable Mention (May 31, 2025).

Literature

Honorable Mention, Literature (Grades 9–12)

National PTA Reflections, Western Region PTA • 2024–2025

Recognized for the essay “Accepting Imperfections – The Unsung Hero of Progress,” a reflection on the role of imperfection in human individuality and success.

STEM achievement

Outstanding Sophomore Engineering and Technology Award

Williamsville North High School • 2024

Recognized for outstanding achievement in engineering and technology as a sophomore.

Competition

1st Place, T-Shirt Design; 3rd Place, Promotional Graphics and Coding

Technology Student Association, New York State Conference • 2024–2025

1st Place in T-Shirt Design (2025), 3rd Place in Promotional Graphics (2025) and 3rd Place in Coding (2024) at the TSA New York State Conference.

Competition

1st Place, Computer Programming

Computer Science for High Schoolers (CS4HS), Buffalo State • 2024

Won 1st Place in the Computer Programming competition.

Competition

2nd Place, Disease Detective

Science Olympiad Regionals • 2023

Placed 2nd in the Disease Detective event at the regional Science Olympiad.

Academic achievement and scholarships

Academic achievement

Outstanding Academic Excellence

President’s Education Awards Program • 2026

Recognized with the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence in 2026.

Scholarship

Engineering Society of Buffalo Scholarship

The Engineering Society of Buffalo, Inc. • 2026

Received a scholarship from The Engineering Society of Buffalo, Inc. in 2026.

Academic achievement

AP Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction

College Board • 2024, 2025, 2026

Earned AP Scholar in 2024, followed by AP Scholar with Distinction in 2025 and 2026 for academic achievement across Advanced Placement coursework.

Scholarship

Science and Math Award

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) • 2025

Offered the RIT Science and Math Award scholarship, valued at $24,000 per year for four years.

Scholarship

Presidential Scholarship

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) • 2025

Offered the RIT Presidential Scholarship, in addition to the Science and Math Award scholarship.

Scholarship

UB Flagship Scholarship

University at Buffalo

Awarded a scholarship valued at $4,000 per year for up to four years.

Service and leadership

Leadership and service

Certificate of Outstanding Service

Superintendent’s Interhigh Advisory Council • 2026

Recognized for outstanding service to the Superintendent’s Interhigh Advisory Council.

Community service

Bronze YES Award, 36 Hours of Service

Town of Amherst • 2025

Recognized with the Bronze YES Award for completing 36 hours of service with Amherst Youth Engaged in Service during 2025.

Community service

Outstanding Member, Amherst Youth Consortium

Town of Amherst • 2023–2024

Recognized for service and leadership with the Amherst Youth Consortium in 2023.

Community service

Citation for Outstanding Community Service

New York State Assembly, 146th District • 2024

Cited by Assemblymember Karen McMahon for volunteer service and contributions to the Amherst community.

Service

Bronze Medal (2×), 600+ Volunteer Hours

President’s Volunteer Service Award • 2025

Received the Bronze Medal twice for more than 600 hours of volunteer service.