
Vivek Malik, a student at The Hackley School in Tarrytown, has been named a finalist in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search 2025, the only Westchester County student to achieve the honor this year.
Malik is one of 40 finalists who will be invited to Washington, D.C., in March to compete for $1.8 million in awards. Finalists were announced on Jan. 23.
For his winning project, Malik sought a way to control macrophages, an immune cell that can lower inflammation and help treat diseases like cancer and hardening of the arteries.
He was chosen from a national field of 300 that included 17 Westchester semifinalists – including Anthony Jiang and Haylli Yunga from Ossining High School – who were named scholars in the science and math competition for high school seniors. Semifinalists will be awarded $2,000 each and their schools will be awarded $2,000 for each enrolled scholar.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search scholars were selected from nearly 2,500 entrants from 795 high schools across 48 states, American Samoa, Guam, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 14 other countries. U.S. citizens living abroad are eligible to apply.
Scholars were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and exceptional promise as STEM leaders demonstrated through the submission of their original, independent research projects, essays and recommendations.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search recognizes and empowers promising young scientists who are generating innovative solutions to solve significant global challenges through rigorous research and discoveries. The competition provides students with a national stage to present new ideas and challenge conventional ways of thinking.
Now in its 103rd year, Society for Science has played a significant role in educating the public about scientific discoveries as well as in identifying future leaders in science, technology, engineering and math. Regeneron has sponsored the Science Talent Search since 2017 as part of its commitment to STEM education and to supporting young scientists.
For over eight decades, the Science Talent Search has rewarded talented high school seniors who dedicate countless hours to original research projects and present their results in rigorous reports that resemble graduate school theses. Collectively, STS alumni have received millions of dollars in scholarships and gone on to found world-changing companies, publish groundbreaking research, and win Nobel Prizes, Fields Medals, MacArthur Fellowships and numerous other accolades.