Knight-Hennessy Scholars announces sixth cohort

Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) has announced its sixth cohort. This fall, they will join a diverse community of civic-minded Stanford graduate students from across the globe.

John Hennessy, the Shriram Family Director of KHS, said the new cohort is the first to include scholars who were already enrolled as doctoral students at Stanford.

“We wanted to open the program up to more candidates, particularly PhD students, so this new cohort includes several scholars in their first year of their doctoral studies,” he said. “We’re happy to have them join this community for the next three years and eager to see what they’ll achieve.”

The 2023 cohort of 85 new scholars is the largest to date. They come from 29 countries, including the first scholars from Hungary, Malawi, the Netherlands, Russia, Sierra Leone, and Turkey. They will pursue graduate degrees in 38 programs across all seven schools at Stanford.

“Scholars tell us that one of the most valuable parts of their KHS experience is getting to know the other scholars who come from all over the world and are studying across the entire campus,” said Tina Seelig, executive director of KHS. “The cross-pollination in our community leads to powerful insights and opportunities for collaboration both in school and after they graduate.”

KHS was announced in 2016 by Hennessy and Phil Knight, MBA ’62. Its goal is to educate and prepare a community of scholars for leadership roles in academia, industry, government, nonprofits, and the community at large. Today, there are 425 scholars, including the 2023 cohort. Each incoming Knight-Hennessy scholar must be a newly enrolled student in a full-time Stanford graduate program or a current Stanford PhD student in their first year of enrollment.

Following are the 2023 Knight-Hennessy Scholars from Stanford.

Ahmed Ahmed is pursuing a PhD in computer science at Stanford School of Engineering. He earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in mathematical and computational science, and a master’s in computer science with research distinction at Stanford in 2021.

Charbel Bou-Khalil is pursuing an MD and a master’s degree in community health and prevention research at Stanford School of Medicine. He attended Orange Coast College before transferring to the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in biomedical research.

Isabel Gallegos is a coterminal Stanford student who will receive joint BS and MS degrees in computer science, as well as a minor in education, from Stanford this spring. In the fall, she will begin her doctoral studies in computer science at Stanford School of Engineering.

Thay Graciano is pursuing a master’s degree in international policy at Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute and a PhD in communication, with a focus on political communication and deliberative democracy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford, with a focus on political economy and development.

Douglas Henze is a first-year PhD student in bioengineering at Stanford School of Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Harvard University.

Sandesh Sachin Kalantre is a first-year PhD student in physics in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Ashwin Kumar is a first-year PhD student in biomedical physics at the Stanford School of Medicine. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and neuroscience from Vanderbilt University.

Karen Elizabeth Malacon is a first-year MD and PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stanford School of Medicine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard University.

Krish Mehta is a first-year MBA student at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He will pursue a master’s degree at the Doerr School of Sustainability in the fall. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with dual degrees in business and engineering with a focus on renewable energy.

Riya Mehta is pursuing a JD at Stanford Law School and a master’s degree in environment and resources at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She graduated from Stanford in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Earth systems and a minor in Spanish.

Hannah Melville-Rea is a first-year PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from New York University Abu Dhabi.

Nikhil Milind is a first-year PhD student in genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine. He holds bachelor’s degrees in computer science and genetics from North Carolina State University and an MPhil in biological sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Tom Nachtigal is a first-year PhD student in the international and comparative education program at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in law and international relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an LLM from Columbia Law School, and an MEd in Human development and education from Harvard University.

Avanika Narayan is a first-year PhD student in computer science at Stanford School of Engineering. She graduated from Stanford in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Leona Neftaliem is a first-year PhD student in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (PhD) in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from George Washington University.

Philip Robert Onffroy is a first-year PhD student in chemical engineering at Stanford School of Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University.

Abu Rogers is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine and an MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry.

Thomas Rutter is a first-year economics PhD student in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree in econometrics and mathematical economics from the London School of Economics.

Maya Sheth is a first-year bioengineering PhD student at Stanford School of Engineering. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University.

Yujie Tao is a first-year computer science PhD student at Stanford School of Engineering. She double majored in journalism and computer science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before earning a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Chicago.