For the second consecutive academic year, Baju Joy, a graduate student in the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek (NCB) research group at the MIT Media Lab, has won the prestigious Whitaker Health Sciences Fellowship Award.  Baju’s outstanding academic achievement and contributions to the advancement of NCB’s research, along with his humanitarian spirit, have been rewarded once again; it is rare for a graduate student to receive the Whitaker Health Sciences Fellowship for two years in a row. This achievement speaks to Baju’s exceptional qualities as a researcher and person.

The winner for the Whitaker Award is selected through a highly competitive process by the MIT Office of Graduate Education, and Baju is one of only two students across all departments of MIT to win this notable award. 

Baju has been a member of the NCB group led by Prof. Deblina Sarkar since 2019, when he joined the group to pursue his master's degree. He has continued as a PhD student under the mentorship of Prof. Sarkar as of fall 2022. 

At the NCB lab, Baju is at the forefront of developing subcellular-sized magnetic devices designed to wirelessly modulate and monitor biological systems. His research is paving the way for novel therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases and enhancing our understanding of biological processes.