Awards

Rhodes Scholar - 2022

About Elvin N. Irihamye

Elvin N. Irihamye has played a key role in published brain research, and demonstrates a passion for helping others through nonprofit work and student government roles. He is one of 32 U.S. students chosen as a Rhodes Scholar in 2021, and is the 19th student in Indiana University's history to be named a Rhodes Scholar. In October, he will go to the United Kingdom on the renowned scholarship to study at the University of Oxford.

Irihamye is currently a Herman B Wells Scholar and a neuroscience major at IU Bloomington. He plans to pursue a Master of Science in translational health sciences and a Master of Science in evidence-based social intervention at Oxford. Irihamye is a resident of Sammamish, Washington, and a native of Rwanda, He has a love of natural science and a desire to translate the scientific method into applied purposes. A co-author of three scientific papers in peer-reviewed publications relating to cancer chemotherapy treatments, he has also researched potential therapeutics for auditory-related chemotherapy side effects, which was published in Neurotoxicity Research. His research also has been published in the journals Nature and Cells.

Irihamye co-founded the Eckford Mentorship Program, a charitable corporation using industry and academic partnerships to strengthen the pipeline of Black, Latina and Native American talent into the workforce. He also is active with Create Circles, a nonprofit that connects college students with older adults through virtual visits. He's also advocated for students through his involvement in student government. Irihamye has been a student advisor to IU's president as a member of the Board of Aeons, and to the university's vice provost for undergraduate education as a member of the student advisory board.