Yiming Chen ’24, Wilhem Hector, Anushka Nair, and David Oluigbo have been honored as the 2025 Rhodes Scholars, marking the beginning of their fully funded postgraduate studies at Oxford University in the U.K. next fall. Alongside MIT’s two U.S. Rhodes winners, Oluigbo and Nair, two affiliates received international Rhodes Scholarships: Chen for the Rhodes China constituency and Hector for the Global Rhodes Scholarship. Notably, Hector made history as the first Haitian citizen to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.
The endeavor was supported by Associate Dean Kim Benard and the Distinguished Fellowships team within Career Advising and Professional Development. They also received invaluable mentorship from the Presidential Committee on Distinguished Fellowships. Professor Nancy Kanwisher, who co-chairs the committee alongside Professor Tom Levenson, expressed her admiration for the scholars, stating, “It is profoundly inspiring to work with our amazing students who have accomplished so much at MIT and are deeply committed to addressing the world’s critical challenges. These students have diligently developed and articulated their vision, and they communicate it with passion, clarity, and confidence. We are thrilled, though not surprised, to see numerous finalists and winners recognized this year."
Yiming Chen
Yiming Chen, hailing from Beijing, China, and the Washington area, was named one of four Rhodes China Scholars on September 28. At Oxford, she intends to immerse herself in graduate studies in engineering science, aimed at advancing AI safety and reliability within clinical workflows. Chen graduated from MIT in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Master of Engineering in Computer Science. Her work included a focus on machine learning for healthcare, particularly in medical imaging through the Medical Vision Group at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL).
In collaboration with IBM Research, Chen developed a neural framework for clinical-grade lumen segmentation in intravascular ultrasound, presenting her results at the MICCAI Machine Learning in Medical Imaging conference. Additionally, she contributed to Cleanlab, an MIT-founded startup, by creating an open-source library for ensuring the integrity of image datasets used in vision tasks. As a teaching assistant in the math and electrical engineering departments at MIT, she received a teaching excellence award and taught high school students at Hampshire College Summer Studies in Math. Furthermore, her musical talents include studying the guzheng—an ancient Chinese instrument—since she was four years old, leading to her presidency of the MIT Chinese Music Ensemble and performances at the United Nations.
Wilhem Hector
Wilhem Hector, a senior from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, was awarded a Global Rhodes Scholarship on November 1. As the first Haitian national to receive this honor, Hector will pursue a Master’s in Energy Systems followed by a Master’s in Education at Oxford, with a focus on digital and social change. His aspirations include pioneering renewable energy infrastructure in Haiti and integrating comprehensive hands-on opportunities into the national curriculum.
Hector’s passion for energy originates from his research at the MIT Howland Lab, where he studied the uncertainties of wind power production during active yaw control. He also played a role in establishing the MIT Renewable Energy Clinic while examining public opposition to energy projects in the U.S. His professional experience includes internships at Radia Inc. and DTU Wind Energy Systems, where he honed computational techniques for wind farm modeling. Beyond academia, Hector leads the Hector Foundation, a nonprofit that provides educational resources for Haitian youth, having raised over $80,000 in five years to fund initiatives like the construction of Project Manus—Haiti’s first open-use engineering makerspace. Additionally, he has received multiple awards, including the Davis Peace Prize and the PKG Fellowship for Social Impact.
Anushka Nair
Anushka Nair, from Portland, Oregon, is set to graduate in the spring with Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in computer science and engineering, focusing on economics and AI. At the Oxford Internet Institute, she plans to pursue a DPhil in social data science, aiming to develop ethical AI technologies that tackle significant societal issues such as misinformation.
For her master’s thesis, under the guidance of Professor David Rand, Nair is working on fact-checking tools powered by large language models designed to detect complex misinformation that exceeds human or automated recognition capabilities. She also engages in research on human-AI co-reasoning at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence with Professor Thomas Malone. Nair’s previous internships included the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General and Tesla, where she contributed to energy trading solutions and development of platforms for renewable energy resource monitoring. Her leadership roles highlight her dedication to supporting women in STEM, serving as President of the MIT Society of Women Engineers and MIT and Harvard Women in AI.
David Oluigbo
David Oluigbo, from Washington, is a senior majoring in artificial intelligence and decision-making, with a minor in brain and cognitive sciences. He will pursue an MSc in applied digital health, followed by an MSc in modeling for global health, at Oxford, with ambitions of becoming a physician-scientist focused on applying AI to healthcare challenges in low-income countries.
Oluigbo’s academic journey includes significant research experiences at the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he has multiple publications to his name. In a summer internship at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, he designed and trained machine-learning models for neuroendocrine tumor detection, earning first authorship on a conference proceeding. Additionally, he has been actively involved with MIT-EMS as an EMT and holds leadership positions in organizations such as Code for Good and the MIT Brain and Cognitive Society.
The impressive achievements of Chen, Hector, Nair, and Oluigbo exemplify their commitment to making a meaningful impact across various fields, combining rigorous academic pursuits with social responsibility and innovation.
