Sreya Vangara

Sreya Vangara, from Germantown, Maryland, is pursuing a PhD in mechanical engineering at Stanford School of Engineering. She graduated from MIT with a double major in mechanical and electrical engineering and computer science, and also earned a master’s in global affairs from Tsinghua University. Inspired by her Indian grandmother’s experience living without electricity, Sreya hopes to develop lower-cost nuclear fusion devices for consistent and clean power in emerging countries. Her research also elevates underprivileged communities through global clean water collaborations with Madagascar and the Navajo Nation. Sreya supports sustainable innovation through grassroots educational initiatives, and has taught students in Kazakhstan, Mexico, Hong Kong, China, Palestine, and Israel. She is a recipient of a Schwarzman Scholarship, a Quad Fellowship, an National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, and an MIT Henry Ford II Scholar Award. Outside of academics, she is a nationally ranked collegiate shooter, advocate for collegiate disability rights, and crime-drama enthusiast.