Dhruv Agarwal, a doctoral student in the field of information science, has been named a 2023 Quad Fellow for his strong record of academic and professional success and inspirational commitment to positive change.
Born and raised in India, Agarwal builds technologies for underserved communities that are often low-income and low-literate. Advised by Aditya Vashistha, assistant professor of information science, Agarwal works on explainable artificial intelligence in the context of healthcare and sustainability. He graduated magna cum laude in computer science from Ashoka University, and then spent two years working at Microsoft Research on air pollution and mental health. He is passionate about interdisciplinary research and real-world impact and hopes to bridge the technological disparity in society.
An initiative of the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, the Quad Fellowship – administered by Schmidt Futures – is designed to build ties among the next generation of scientists and technologists. This program sponsors 100 exceptional American, Japanese, Australian, and Indian master's and doctoral students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to study in the United States.
Agarwal is among the 100 members of the inaugural Quad Fellowship cohort. The program received more than 3,200 applications.