Albemarle student earns spot in final round of national science competition

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - A senior at Albemarle High School is now a finalist for one of the oldest and most prestigious science competitions in the nation.

Vidya Ambati is one of now only 40 students vying to win the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Ambati, whose grandmother suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, set off to find not only a better treatment for the disease, but also something that could possibly prevent it. The high school senior has worked alongside researchers at UVA Health to repurpose and find a new receptor for haloperidol, which is typically used to treat various mental illnesses.

“Like her, there’s millions of others who suffer from this debilitating pain deep within their bones, and when I found out that we don’t have good ways to prevent this problem, I decided to really commit myself to finding a new therapy,” said Ambati.

Ambati has already secured $25,000 in awards just by being a finalist.

She will present her research to a panel of judges in March, where she and other contestants will be hoping to earn awards that range from $40,000 to $250,000.

She says she is the first student from either Albemarle County or Charlottesville to claim a finalist spot in this competition.

Win or lose, she says she will continue conducting this research.

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