Milad Alucozai

2015 Mitchell Scholar

Hometown

West Lafayette, IN

Major

Brain and Behavioral Sciences

College

Health and Human Sciences, Honors College

Other Notable Recognitions

2013 Goldwater Honorable Mention and 2016 Marshall Scholarship Finalist

 

Milad Alucozai is Purdue’s first Mitchell Scholarship recipient. He was chosen as one of only 12 students nationally to pursue graduate studies in Ireland. To receive this award, Alucozai proved extraordinary commitment to scholarship, leadership, and community service. He is a Marshall Scholarship finalist and earned a Goldwater Scholarship Honorable Mention.

 

Alucozai’s intellect and work meet at the intersection of neuroscience, bioengineering, healthcare, and policy. He started at Purdue intending to major in all these areas, yet realized “knocking out degrees” should fall second to growing as a person, experiencing life, and developing critical thinking skills. Instead, he tailored his curriculum to include a blend of courses in engineering, humanities, and sciences.

 

He made time to engage in entrepreneurship, student organizations, study abroad, and research experiences. Mentorships and opportunities to collaborate with others at Purdue were pillars during his undergraduate years — the influences of his professors, mentors, as well as his family and faith.

 

Alucozai is currently completing his Master’s in Immunology and Public Health at Maynooth University in Ireland through the Mitchell Scholarship. His research is based on drug development and imaging techniques for Nervous System Disorders. He has continually sought global discourse on health disparities, traveling to Nepal, Colombia, and Ethiopia for research-based, humanitarian projects. He is serving as a mentor for the Clinton Global Initiative, supporting “commitment-makers” on their projects around the world. As a serial entrepreneur, he invented four lab-based technologies and has been active in numerous start-ups including part of the founding team at Cellaflora. During his free time, Alucozai works with Living On One, a film production studio. It recently produced Salam Neighbor, a documentary on the lives of Syrian refugees. He plans to continue finding ways to use film as a medium to share important stories.

 

Alucozai’s goal is to continue working with great teams building cutting-edge tools and technologies to transform and reimagine healthcare for everyone.