Vishal Kantharaju

Computer Science, The University of Texas at Austin  

Vishal Kantharaju grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was also part of the inaugural cohort for the university’s new minor in Robotics.

During his time at UT Austin, Vishal worked on several projects at the intersection of technology and medicine. As Vice President of ECLAIR (Engineering and Computational Learning of AI and Robotics), he led the design and construction of a low-cost robot to automate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, work that earned an Honorable Mention among more than 230 posters at the Longhorn Research Poster Session. He also conducted research in the HeRo (Human-Enabled Robotic Technology) Lab, where he developed an AI tool to evaluate surgical performance and give feedback from video footage of residents training on the da Vinci robotic system. Outside the lab, Vishal worked as a full-stack software engineer at IAMECON, an economic consulting firm, where he built a tool that automated damage calculations for personal injury cases. This cut legal-financial documentation costs, helping low-income clients more easily pursue their cases.

Vishal is also committed to community service and advocacy. As President of the UT Lions Club, he grew membership by 75%, led 121 service events totaling more than 3,000 volunteer hours, and launched new fundraisers that doubled the club’s charitable giving. As Senate Representative and Legislative Chair for the Natural Sciences Council, he wrote and advocated for legislation that improved student life on campus, including securing lower dining hall tables for wheelchair accessibility, eliminating to-go food fees in dining halls, and introducing low-cost course markers to help students manage material expenses.

Vishal chose the EnMed program to continue exploring how engineering and AI can make care more accessible and effective for patients. He aspires to grow into a physician who identifies gaps in care and engineers solutions with lasting clinical impact.

Outside of academics, Vishal enjoys reading, painting landscapes, and playing board games.