The 20-year-old Indian American is “really excited to continue to work in medical AI and explore all these unique possibilities this new technology is enabling.”
Indian American Tanishq Mathew Abraham last month became one of the world’s youngest Ph.D. holders. The 20-year-old received his doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of California, Davis. His Ph.D. program focused on the development of AI systems used in diagnostic pathology, as reported by Fox40 News. “After 4 years 8 months in the @UCDavisGrad @UCDavisBMEGG graduate program, I am now Dr. Tanishq Mathew Abraham (at 19 years old),” he tweeted.
Very excited to share the news that I successfully defended my PhD research today! 🥳🎉
— Tanishq Mathew Abraham (@iScienceLuvr) May 12, 2023
Homeschooled by his veterinarian researcher mother Dr. Taji Abraham and software engineer father Bijou Abraham in Sacramento, Tanishq Abraham enrolled in part-time college courses at the age of 7. He graduated from high school at 10 years old and graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering from UC Davis when he was 14 years old. His parents “quickly recognized their child’s exceptional abilities and provided him with the resources and support needed to nurture his talents,” the Fox report said, citing a press release issued by the family. His sister Tiara Abraham graduated with a bachelor of arts in music and vocal performance from UC Davis last year at 16 years old. She also sang the national anthem at her brother’s commencement.
My Father's Day gift five years ago was obtaining my Bachelor's degree and becoming a biomedical engineer, and this year my gift was completing my PhD!
— Tanishq Mathew Abraham (@iScienceLuvr) June 19, 2023
“I think we’re still early to the various opportunities that will be possible because of AI in the medical field,” Abraham told Fox. “I’m just really excited to continue to work in medical AI and explore all these unique possibilities this new technology is enabling.” He told Fox that he was inspired by his grandmother and late grandfather, Dr. Zachariah Mathew, a veterinary researcher. His grandmother, 90-year-old Dr. Thankam Mathew, was the first Indian woman veterinarian to receive a Ph.D. in the mid-1960s. She was present at his dissertation defense at UC Davis.
The founding CEO of MedARC, a medical AI research organization focused on training foundation models for medicine, Tanishq Abraham also works at Stability AI, where he conducts generative and medical AI research. He has published a book chapter on AI in pathology, presented his work at several conferences, and contributed to many open-source projects, including DALL-E mini and fastai. He is also involved in various teaching initiatives, such as being an instructor for the fast.ai course.
