Bhavik Agarwal has been selected to participate in the fall 2023 class of Google’s prestigious CS Research Mentorship Program. The program supports the pursuit of computing research for students from historically marginalized groups through career mentorship, peer-to-peer networking, and building awareness about pathways within the field.
Accepted students are matched into a “pod” with a Google mentor and a small group of peers for a period of 12 weeks, during which they join a broader peer community and are invited to participate in virtual networking events, career panels, tech talks, and information sessions about computing research opportunities.
“With the knowledge and expertise gained from participating in the CSRMP, I am confident in my ability to drive impactful research and make a meaningful contribution to the field of computational health care,” says Agarwal.
After his grandfather succumbed to cancer due to its late detection, Agarwal became determined to become a leading researcher at the intersection of computer science and health care, aspiring to use machine learning and deep learning for the prevention and detection of early-stage diseases.
“This devastating loss ignited a deep passion within me to pursue advanced studies in health care and make a difference in improving patient and clinical outcomes through the power of technology,” he says.
Agarwal is interested in the potential of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and algorithms to transform health care delivery, improve patient outcomes, and enhance clinical decision-making processes. In his future research, he aims to develop innovative tools for early disease detection, design intelligent systems for personalized treatment plans, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize health care processes.
“By merging my passion for health care and computing research, I aim to contribute to a future where technology seamlessly integrates into health care, leading to improved quality of care, better patient experiences, and healthier communities,” Agarwal says. “My ultimate goal is to harness the power of computing research to revolutionize health care delivery, reduce disparities, enhance the efficiency and accessibility of health care services, and empower health care professionals with actionable insights.”
Graduating with an MSE in May 2025, Agarwal is a member of the Translational Informatics Research Innovation Lab. He is currently working under the guidance of Casey Overby Taylor, an associate professor of medicine and biomedical engineering, to train a large language model on health care data and records with the goal of creating a ChatGPT-like querying system for use in medicine.
“I am ready to embark on this transformative journey, equipped with the resilience, determination, and ambition to shape the future of health care through computing research,” he says.