umer qureshi

programs

where Umer Qureshi has studied, researched and presented

2026 cohort

MITES semester

MIT's most rigorous academic STEM program, with an acceptance rate under 3%

  • Courses in Stem Cell Biology (Karina Ascunce) and Science Communication (Dr. John Aliu).
  • Conducted PhD-level research on Planaria worms: how caffeine concentrations from Coffea canephora affect stem cell regeneration rates.
project lead · 2026

Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams

invented RADIX, an autonomous robot against the invasive Brazilian peppertree

  • Provisional patent approved, patent pending, with a $7,500 investment.
  • Field research with the botany team at FIU and Professor Joe Redwine.
  • Recognized by NBC Miami.
see RADIX
project lead · 2025

OTIS Made to Move Communities

built Iris AI to help visually impaired people navigate their environment

  • Global winner with a $35,000 investment.
  • Placed ahead of the continental winning teams from Japan, China and Turkey.
see iris AI

talks & lectures

sharing the work, out loud

  1. 01

    OTIS Made to Move Communities

    Presented Iris AI to the OTIS world executives. OTIS leadership

  2. 02

    Lemelson-MIT

    Lecture on the design and purpose of RADIX to an audience of more than 200, including Dr. Michael J. Cima and Dr. Leigh Estabrooks.

  3. 03

    MITES

    Presented research on stem cells and Planaria worms (Karina Ascunce).

  4. 04

    HOSA

    Created and presented BINBR (Bacterial Identification and Nanobot Bacteriophage Release) to combat antimicrobial resistance.