adi desai

Lakeside School

Seattle, Washington

GPA: 4.0

Relevant Coursework: Honors Calculus BC, Advanced Biology: Molecular and Cellular Biology, Honors Chemistry, Spanish IV, Intermediate Computer Science I/II, Bioethics

Test Scores: SAT: 1560 (EBRW: 760 | Math: 800) • PSAT: 1490

Dandekar Lab, University of Washington

Research Intern

• Investigating evolutionary trade-offs in Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing mutations from cystic fibrosis patients
• Reconstructed three lasR mutations (A231V, R216W, R216W+M230I) using allelic exchange mutagenesis
• Built fluorescent reporters to track expression of four quorum-sensing regulons
• Designed primers using Benchling; conducted flow cytometry experiments
• Performing molecular biology techniques: PCR, Gibson assembly, minipreps, electroporation
• Analyzing data using GraphPad Prism to understand how mutations create distinct regulatory phenotypes

Computational Biology Research

Independent Research

• Performed computational screening of 148 genetic perturbations across 221,273 single cells to identify novel therapeutic targets
• Conducted differential expression analysis and statistical validation with Bonferroni correction across large-scale single-cell RNA-seq datasets
• Developed a mechanistic analysis framework to establish regulatory connections between candidate genes
• Built training pipeline for transformer models on single-cell RNA-seq data to predict gene knockdown effects and regulatory networks

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Clinical Research Assistant - Dr. Kanwal Raghav

• First author on "Global Representation in Cancer Clinical Trials" (manuscript in publication)
• Systematically reviewed FDA approval documents for 147 drugs across 155 clinical trials (2023-2025)
• Extracted data on drug mechanisms, trial design, patient demographics, and geographic distribution
• Developed standardized methodology using ClinicalTrials.gov to ensure data consistency
• Performed data cleaning, categorization, and stratified analyses by endpoint categories and disease stages

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Clinical Research Assistant - Dr. Nicholas Palaskas

• Second author on "Updates in Diagnosis and Treatment of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis" published in Current Cardiology Reports
• Authored the treatment section (~1,500 words) synthesizing clinical management strategies
• Compiled and analyzed existing research, clinical guidelines, and treatment standards from ACC, AHA, ESC, and ASCO
• Integrated evidence-based recommendations for immunosuppressive therapy, cardiac monitoring, and ICI rechallenge protocols

INVISION Biosensor

Independent Engineering Project - 1st Place, WSSEF 2025

• Designed a low-cost wearable multi-modal biosensor armband for vital sign anomaly detection
• Programmed ESP32 microcontroller integrating PPG sensors for heart rate and SpO2 measurement
• Built custom signal processing algorithms for real-time vital sign monitoring
• Integrated LEDs, piezo speakers, and thermistors for comprehensive health tracking

Lakeside Lifesavers Club

Founder and President

Founded a program to bring CPR and first aid training to Lakeside community; secured over $300 in funding from student government for training materials and instructor certification. Over 50 students and teachers signed up for the first certification session. Actively expanding the program to reach more students and faculty.

Lakeside AI Student Ambassador

Selected from 50+ applicants

Helped draft AI policies; created AI orientation. Selected to present at NAIS AI Symposium in Houston, Texas.

SHARP (Student Hiring Applicant Review Panel)

Review and evaluate faculty hiring applications; provide student perspective on candidate selection.

Lakeside Tour Guide

Leading campus tours for prospective students and families; representing the Lakeside community.

Just a Call Away

Founder and Coordinator

Created a program to bring awareness about medical emergencies to local elderly immigrant communities. Prepared educational materials and infographics about stroke, heart attacks, and when to call 911.

North Helpline Food Bank

Food Distributor - 100+ hours

Distribute food to underrepresented and vulnerable communities.

Sewa International

LEAD Program Volunteer - 120+ hours

Cook and distribute food to homeless shelters (Porchlight, Helen's Place, etc.). Lead meditation, yoga, and cognitive wellness activities at senior centers. Visit a senior center every other weekend for volunteer programming.

Evergreen Hospital Kirkland

HR Summer Intern, 100+ hours

Unpaid internship role. Scanned and digitized over 1,000 employee files to modernize their system. Organized and filed employee records for improved accessibility.

Harborview Hospital

Front Desk Volunteer, 25+ hours

Greeted and directed patients and visitors.