Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation

A non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

We are born out of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, one of the largest 1-on-1 research initiatives for high school students. The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation is a non-profit created by Lumiere Education to provide the same independent research opportunities to students who don’t have access to traditional research programs at no cost.

Our goal is to help talented, low-income students from around the world become the next generation of researchers.

Our Impact

  • 52

    Countries expanded outreach to

  • 3,650+

    Applications in the past year

  • 274

    Students supported through aid

  • $761,600

    Aid provided to students in the last year

Who we are

The Research Inclusion Foundation grows out of our financial aid initiative at Lumiere Education. We are committed to scaling research opportunities for talented, low-income students.


  • Founder

    Harvard College, AB Economics
    Oxford University, DPhil & MPhil International Development

    Growing up, I didn’t know many researchers. I attended a school in Chennai (that’s in southern India!), where I studied commerce. My family would not have been able to afford a research program and I didn’t know how to get started on my own till I began debating internationally for India. The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation’s goal is to help students like me who are excited to engage in research, but do not have the resources to do so!


  • Founder

    Harvard College, AB Statistics
    Harvard Business School, PhD Organizational Behaviour

    I grew up surrounded by research, but my family didn’t always have that opportunity. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who never got the opportunity to complete his schooling. My father, as a result, grew up poor in Hawaii where he picked pineapples to pay for expenses in junior high and high school. It was only in college that he began to think about research for himself. Though it took him seven years to finish college, he eventually went on to do a PhD and become a professor. At the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, we focus on students with need because we believe that the world’s best researchers are out there - and they are often not the people who have the resources to pay for it. It’s a way for us to pay it forward, for people like my father and grandfather.

The Lumiere Breakthrough Scholar Program

Work 1-on-1 with a PhD mentor.
Build an independently-developed research project.

Our Foundation Scholars

“Dhruva has been more than a mentor to me as he has always helped me out, even after my program concluded. I feel blessed to have been part of such an ambitious group of people and to be mentored by the best instructors in the world.”

Ali Azan Ahmed, Kaizen High, Pakistan

“My mentor was simply the best! He was very helpful throughout the whole program. I came out of the programme with so much more than I had gone in with. Thank you, Lumiere, for kick-starting my research journey!”

Tarun Mathew Doss, The Doon School, India

“I cannot speak more highly of the Lumiere Foundation! The sheer dedication and zeal with which everyone works is genuinely what made this journey so memorable for me. I'm very happy to be part of this community!”

Ashwini Battu, Delhi Public School Bangalore North, India

Our Mentors

“I really enjoyed following my student’s development throughout the research program. Her success is another impressive instance of the dedication and eagerness to learn exemplified by Lumiere Scholars!”

Avery Baumann, PhD, Johns Hopkins University
Mentored Ashwini Battu, Delhi Public School Bangalore North, India & Le Xuan Ai Phan, Atlanta Girls' School, United States

“Working with my student was inspiring! He taught me that determination can overcome even dire obstacles. Well done to Lumiere for creating opportunities for learning beyond borders.”

Anay Nangalia, PhD, Oxford University
Mentored Denis Taban Okeny, Amala High School, Kenya

“Barriers in science only work to keep brilliant scientists like Aral from contributing to the human pursuit of knowledge. Much-needed programs like Lumiere will make science both a more inclusive but also a more expansive discipline.”

Andrea Salazar, PhD, Harvard University
Mentored Aral Çay, Cevre College, Turkey

 FAQs

  • We are looking for high school seniors from around the world who have shown outstanding academic ability despite financial challenges. We do not have any strict cut-offs for GPA, income, or test scores. However, we expect that most students will be in the bottom half of income in their country and could be identified as coming from a low-income family. Check our application page for more details!

  • The first step to becoming a scholar is to fill out the application form. Each cohort has an application deadline, so ensure that you submit your application before that date! You are not required to submit any supporting documents. If your application is shortlisted, you move to the interview round, where you will elaborate on your research interests and ideas!

  • Our Breakthrough Scholar Program is the equivalent of the Individual Research Program at Lumiere Education. During the 12-week program, students meet 1-on-1 with their mentors 9 times. The final product is an independently written research paper by the student. Check our program page for more details!

  • The Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation is an independent non-profit born out of the financial aid program of the Lumiere Research Scholar Program. Though the two organizations operate independently legally, they work together on programming for students.