Thai Young Scientists Make Global Impact at ISEF 2026
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
On 12-15 May 2026, the Office of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, Royal Thai Embassy, Washington D.C. (OHESDC), participated in the 76th Annual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2026 (Regeneron ISEF 2026), held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. On this occasion, Mr. Thitidej Tularak, Minister-Counsellor, served as a judge in the Engineering Technology: Statics & Dynamics category and Dr. Siriporn Taokaew, Higher Education and Science Project Consultant, served as a judge in the Biomedical Engineering category. Both judging assignments were in subcategories different from those in which Thai students were competing.
Regeneron ISEF 2026, organized by the Society for Science, is widely recognized as the world’s largest pre-college science competition, bringing together more than 1,700 finalists from over 60 countries each year. Thailand delivered an outstanding performance at Regeneron ISEF 2026, with Thai students receiving seven Grand Awards across the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Animal Sciences, Translational Medical Science, and Chemistry. The awards included a 1st Place Grand Award for an AI-optomechatronic malaria diagnostic system; 2nd Place Grand Awards for research on coral climate resilience and a decentralized cervical pre-cancer detection platform; and 3rd–4th Place Grand Awards for innovations related to respiratory health systems, soft-shell crab production, quail-farm pest control, and mercury detection sensors.
In addition, Thai finalists received multiple Special Awards from international organizations, including King Abdulaziz & his Companions Foundation, the Patent and Trademark Office Society, American Chemical Society (ACS), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, and Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). These recognitions underscore the scientific creativity, innovation potential, and global competitiveness of Thailand’s next generation of researchers.
Watch the full ceremonies: