Quick Facts
Biography
Maya Burhanpurkar is an Canadian scientist.
Personal life
Burhanpurkar was born in Orillia, Canada.
Career
At age 10, Burhanpurkar built a microbiology lab in her family basement and began conducting scientific experiments after volunteering in a hospital in India. Burhanpurkar's parents supported her curiosity.
At the age of 14, Burhanpurkar conducted research in the field of fundamental physics—the first physical detection of Absement—for which she was awarded the Canada-Wide Science Fair Platinum Medal, competed at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and was selected as a regional finalist for the 2013 Google Science Fair. When she was 13, she received the Platinum Award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair for her work on the cardiac and gastrointestinal safety of two Alzheimer's drugs. Burhanpurkar was inspired to study the safety of Alzheimer's drugs after the death of her grandfather from Alzheimer's disease. At the age of 12, Burhanpurkar developed an intelligent-antibiotic which selectively kills pathogenic bacteria such as E-coli but preserves the body's helpful intestinal microbiota bacteria.
She filmed a documentary on the "effects of climate change on Inuit communities featuring Chris Hadfield and Margaret Atwood" after an expedition to the Arctic.
In 2013, Burhanpurkar was named one of Canada's Top 20 Under 20. She was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) and was the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year (2010).
Awards
- Gloria Barron Prize -
- Inaugural BresciaLead Emerging Leader Award 2017 -
- Canada's Top 20 Under 20 Award - Youth In Motion
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal of Honour - Governor General of Canada
- Grand Platinum Award 2012 - Canada Wide Science Fair
- Grand Platinum Award 2014 - Canada Wide Science Fair
- Actuarial Foundation of Canada Award - Canada-Wide Science Fair
- Discovery Challenge Award - Canada Wide Science Fair
- Gold Medal - Canada Wide Science Fair
- Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year - Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- S.M. Blair Foundation Award - Canada-Wide Science Fair