Aishani Pathak

If there’s one thing that defines Aishani Pathak, it’s momentum — the kind that carries her from classrooms to research labs to national laboratories, always excited by what’s next.

A Grand Challenges Scholar graduating in spring 2026, Pathak earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics from the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. A Provost Scholar, National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Fellow and Grand Challenges Scholars Program participant, she has built an academic career grounded in both excellence and impact.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Pathak’s journey to ASU began with a single conversation.

“My first impression of ASU was through the Fulton Ambassadors program,” she says.

That experience came full circle when she later served as an ambassador herself, mentoring incoming students.

Mentorship has played a central role in her experience. At the Geometric Media Lab, she worked with Professor Pavan Turaga and lab members, gaining the tools to conduct impactful research in artificial intelligence. She also credits Amy Trowbridge, who taught her first engineering course, with guiding her and connecting her to opportunities. Mentors including Tonali Velez and Natalia Thompson Revoner further supported her growth through E2 and the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.

Her passion for computer science started with mathematics, but research solidified her direction. At the Geometric Media Lab, she had her first “aha” moment, where theory met real-world application. From studying human gait using neural networks to publishing work on geometric artificial intelligence methods, Pathak quickly immersed herself in advanced research.

“This initial synergy of research and application really drew me into engineering,” she says.

Beyond the lab, Pathak’s leadership spans the Fulton Schools. She served as a Grand Challenges student leader, a Fulton Ambassador, an undergraduate teaching assistant and a software lead for the EPICS FarmBots team. She also supported outreach through E2 camps and organizations like Women in Machine Learning and Women in Data Science.

During two summers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, she worked on projects ranging from wildfire simulation to robotic vision systems.

“I plan to contribute to the national security sector through applications of AI,” says Pathak.

For Pathak, representation matters as much as innovation.

“Being a woman in engineering is important because representation matters,” she says.

Favorites

Hobby: Rock climbing
Movie: The Princess Diaries
TV show: Anything true crime
Activity: Eating
Podcast: Anything true crime

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2026 class.

Written by Aisha Kaddi