AI Insight
Two MIT graduates, Sunshine Jiang and Rupert Li, have been named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars, a prestigious Stanford University fellowship now in its ninth year that funds up to three years of graduate study. Jiang, who holds degrees in physics, EECS, and a master's in engineering from MIT, will pursue a PhD in computer science at Stanford, focusing on embodied AI and robotics for general-purpose, accessible systems. Li, who holds degrees in mathematics, computer science, economics, and data science from MIT, as well as a master's from Cambridge, is already pursuing a PhD in mathematics at Stanford with research interests in probability, discrete geometry, and combinatorics.
Why it matters
The recognition of these scholars highlights ongoing contributions to robotics, artificial intelligence, and mathematics research with potential applications in educational access, adaptive autonomous systems, and theoretical foundations of data science. Their work and mentorship activities also reflect a broader effort to expand participation in STEM fields.
MIT master’s student Sunshine Jiang ’25 and Rupert Li ’24 are recipients of this year’s Knight-Hennessy Scholarship. Now in its ninth year, the highly competitive scholarship provides up to three years of financial support for graduate studies at Stanford University.
Sunshine Jiang ’25
Sunshine Jiang, from Hangzhou, China, graduated from MIT in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree as a double major in physics and electrical engineering and computer science, along with minors in mathematics and economics. She will receive her master of engineering degree this month and will start her PhD in computer science at Stanford School of Engineering this fall.
Jiang researches embodied artificial intelligence and robotics, developing data-efficient, adaptive systems for general-purpose robots that broaden accessibility. She has presented her research at major conferences, including the Conference on Robot Learning, the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, and the International Conference on Learning Representations.
Jiang led the development of AI-powered systems that provide access to traditional Chinese art in rural classrooms, founded cross-country programs that expand girls’ access to STEM education, and created a Covid-19 documentary amplifying community voices, which was featured on China Daily.
Rupert Li ’24
Rupert Li, from Portland, Oregon, is currently pursuing a PhD in mathematics at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. He graduated from MIT in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree, double majoring in mathematics and computer science, economics, and data science. Along with his bachelor’s degree, he also received a master’s degree in data science. Li then traveled to the United Kingdom as a Marshall Scholar, where he earned a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge.
Li’s research interests lie in probability, discrete geometry, and combinatorics. He enjoys serving as a mentor for MIT PRIMES-USA, a high school math research program, and previously served as an advisor for the Duluth REU, an undergraduate math research program. In addition to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship, he has been awarded the Hertz Fellowship, P.D. Soros Fellowship, and the Goldwater Scholarship, and he received honorable mention for the Frank and Brennie Morgan Prize.