Quick facts
Every Personify student works one-on-one with a specialist like Agastya — not a generalist tutor.
Agastya Sarmah
Science Fair Mentor — ISEF Grand Award Winner & Regeneron STS Scholar
Agastya is a nationally recognized computational biology researcher and undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology with plans to double major in Computer Science or Bioengineering. He is a 3rd Grand Award Winner in Biomedical and Health Sciences at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and a Top 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) Scholar.
His research, conducted under Dr. Yick Fong at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, focused on the genomics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Using genomic and clinical data from over 2,300 patients across 14 studies, he investigated how ARID1A mutations influence cancer progression and identified DNA polymerase theta (POLQ) as a promising therapeutic target — contributing to ongoing efforts in precision oncology.
At Berkeley he serves as Curriculum Co-Director for Computational Biology@Berkeley, where he develops course materials and teaches bioinformatics to undergraduates. In summer 2026 he joined Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals at The Engine (MIT's innovation accelerator), contributing to research on novel therapeutics for Alzheimer's and ALS.
Students consistently credit Agastya's ISEF coaching — from crafting multiple pitch lengths to tailoring presentations to specific judges — as decisive in their own competition success, including an ISEF Grand Award winner and a 1st-place Junior Academy of Science presenter.
Track Record
ISEF 3rd Grand Award — Biomedical & Health Sciences
Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair.
Top 300 Regeneron STS Scholar
1st Place — Massachusetts Science & Engineering Fair
Plus IFoRE Undergraduate Division Winner, ABRCMS Oral Presenter Award, and USAF Research Laboratory Award.
Curriculum Co-Director, Computational Biology@Berkeley
Teaches bioinformatics to undergraduate students.
What Students Say
Agastya's advice helped me know what to expect and feel much more prepared for the event — from creating multiple versions of our pitch to tailoring presentations to specific judges and making our projects stand out for award recognition.
He showed me how to structure my explanation so judges could easily follow my data. Thanks to his help, I learned to speak more confidently and handle tough questions without getting nervous.