16-year-old Indian youth, Aditya Kumar Jha from VIBGYOR High School, Mumbai, has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in international science and innovation, gaining highly prized honours for his path-breaking research on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
Aditya recently showcased his innovative work at the Future Port Youth Conference 2024 in Prague, where he received the Top Three Impact Award. This is just one of his many achievements, which include making it to the finals of the Genius Olympiad 2023 and Youth Ideathon 2023 at IIT Delhi.
Inspiration
His interest in science was ignited while in lockdown for COVID-19 when he ended up spending a lot of time in the universe of superheroes—though not because of their superpowers but because of their tech. “With nearly middle school passing during lockdown periods over COVID-19, I was confined at home. Since then, I had to spend most of my time confined at home taking classes online and binge-watching episodes of The Flash,” Aditya remembers. “It was not the superheroes that caught me—it was Cisco Ramon.” Now, he wasn’t the superhero with powers but was the genius of the tech and came up with creative solutions to assist Flash in overcoming diverse challenges.
This fictional character inspired Aditya to propel real innovation.”That’s what instilled my passion for technology and innovation. I wanted to be like Cisco—the problem solver who uses innovative, technology-based solutions.”
Personal interest in medical research
This curiosity soon converted to an actual mission when Aditya invented HepaEase, a biosensor at an affordable price for early diagnosis of NAFLD, a liver disease that typically remains undiagnosed until the condition advances to a critical point. He was inspired by personal experiences—his father’s colleagues and a close friend’s grandfather had suffered from the disease. “My interest in NAFLD started with a close friend’s grandfather when he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He had never even known he had NAFLD—an asymptomatic disorder that progresses silently,” he explains.
This realisation prompted deeper thinking, “When I casually mentioned this to my family, my dad pointed out that many of his friends had NAFLD too—just taking medication, with no real cure. That led me to ponder: instead of waiting until it becomes something as serious as liver cancer, why not work towards detecting it at an early stage? Prevention is always better than cure.”
Innovation with real-world impact
Aditya’s research resulted in the creation of HepaEase, a biosensor that is low-cost and intended for early detection of NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). “The potential health impact of HepaEase is substantial,” Aditya observes. “Enabling early detection can prevent the advancement of NAFLD to more serious diseases like liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Early intervention can minimise the load on healthcare systems and enhance patient outcomes.”
Global recognition and networking
The Future Port Youth Conference proved transformative for the young innovator. “The Future Port Youth Conference was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve ever had—it even tops ISEF in some ways,” Aditya enthuses. “As a Top Three Impact Award winner, I had the incredible opportunity to interact with some of the most brilliant minds in tech and innovation.”
The conference gave him a different outlook on science communication. “Previously, I had only experienced science fairs and hackathons, where the emphasis was primarily on demonstrating to judges or scientists. But at Future Port, I came to understand the significance of sharing your work with the public—of taking your innovation out of the research ecosystem and making it available to the masses.”
His work has brought him international acclaim. He was a 2023 finalist in the Genius Olympiad, a first-place finisher in the Youth Ideathon 2023 at IIT Delhi, and an award-winner at the IRIS National Fair, STEMposium at IISc Bangalore, and Techniche 2023 at IIT Guwahati.”
His endeavours were once again validated when he was accepted into the extremely competitive Science Internship Program (SIP) 2024 at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he conducted bioengineering research for seven weeks.
Breaking age barriers
Regardless of his achievements, Aditya has encountered numerous challenges. Working as a teenage researcher, Aditya typically had to encounter scepticism, and this was notably the case for him at the beginning of working in Raipur. “One of the biggest challenges I had in the beginning was being underestimated due to my age. I was living in Raipur before shifting to Mumbai, and when I was conducting my first research projects there, people quietly downplayed my work just because I was 14.”
His remedy was to seek out supportive mentors, “The way I overcame this was by finding the right mentors and like-minded people who believed in me. Instead of attempting to impress those who did not consider me seriously, I focused on carrying on with my work.
Balancing academics and innovation
Similar to most student researchers, Aditya also finds it difficult to balance his different interests and responsibilities. “Honestly, juggling everything in 11th grade has been a lot more difficult than I expected. The work is a lot harder, and I’m still learning how to get everything done effectively. I’m doing research, sports, and other extracurricular activities, but meanwhile, academics are the core of it all.”
His approach is pragmatic, “Instead of sticking to a strict schedule, I manage my time.” When I have a research deadline looming, I concentrate on that completely. When exams are imminent, I do the same for studying. The most important thing is to be completely present in whatever I’m doing—research, academics, or extracurriculars—so that I can do my best without distraction.”
Supportive family foundation
There is a supportive family behind Aditya’s success that saw early on that he had potential. His parents noticed, “Aditya has always been a bright student, excelling in his academics throughout school. But even with good grades, we noticed that he often felt something was missing—he wasn’t completely satisfied just following the conventional path.”
They credit his balance to extracurricular activities, “One of the biggest things that helped Aditya maintain balance was his passion for soccer. He has always enjoyed the sport, and we saw how much it meant to him—not just as a game, but as a means of unwinding, resetting, and maintaining focus.”
In the future, Aditya views research as just a stepping stone, “Research, for me, has always been a stepping stone and not the destination. My goal is to enter the biotech sector and bridge the gap between research, technology, and actual application.”
