Meet Tejas

Tejas Athni is an undergraduate student at Stanford University.  Originally from Macon, Georgia, he is a passionate student researcher and CPR educator, and enjoys sharing his ideas through public outreach programs.

Currently, Tejas is a student researcher at the Rohatgi Lab in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford. His research focuses on the Hedgehog signaling pathway — an evolutionarily conserved cell-cell communication system found in all vertebrates that regulates proper cell differentiation, proliferation, and stem cell function during development and homeostasis. Aberrant Hedgehog signaling is associated with cancer and degenerative diseases.

Previously, Tejas has performed research in the neuro-oncology and plant biology fields at Karmanos Cancer Institute (Detroit, MI) and Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, GA). He was a member of a research team developing a phytochemical treatment option for the deadly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain cancer, has worked to identify the biological reasons why two medicinal plants are going extinct in nature, and has instructed research programs for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Through his research, Tejas has won numerous national and international awards, most notably the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Neuroscience Research Prize. He has presented and discussed his research at various locations around the world, including at universities, international medical and scientific conferences, pharmaceutical companies, and public speaking venues such as TEDxPeachtree.

Tejas’ long-term goals include pursuing a career as a physician-scientist.

Education

Stanford University (Class of 2022) | Palo Alto, CA

Stratford Academy (Class of 2018) | Macon, GA | Valedictorian

TEDx Talk