IIT at 13, PhD by 24—Bihar prodigy Satyam Kumar's journey
What's the story
Satyam Kumar, a prodigious talent from Bakhora Pur village in Bihar's Bhojpur district, has proven that raw talent can be honed into brilliance with hard work and determination. Born to farmer Siddhanath Singh, Kumar showed academic promise early on. He moved to Kota, Rajasthan, a hub for IIT aspirants in India, to prepare for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at an early age.
Academic journey
Kumar's early JEE attempts and success
Kumar first attempted the JEE in 2011 at the age of 12, securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 8,137. However, he didn't stop there. The next year, he gave it another shot and achieved a remarkable AIR of 670 at just 13 years old. This made him the youngest Indian to crack the IIT JEE at that time.
Higher education
Kumar's academic journey at IIT Kanpur
After securing a seat in one of India's top IITs, Kumar opted for Electrical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. He not only completed his BTech but also pursued an MTech from the same institute. After that, he took his studies global and enrolled for a PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, which he completed by age 24.
Professional journey
Kumar's internship at Apple and current role
Kumar's specialized knowledge paved the way for him into some of the world's biggest tech companies. He interned at Apple, gaining hands-on experience in innovation. At present, he works as a Machine Learning Systems Research Engineer at Texas Instruments, a major American multinational semiconductor company that designs, manufactures, and sells analog and embedded processing chips.