UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Industrial engineering doctoral candidate Kevin Mekulu has been named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the category of health care. He was selected for his work in improving screening for cognitive impairment with his artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, which he developed through his startup, DementiAnalytics.
Each year, Forbes magazine publishes their list for North America with 30 individuals selected in each of the 20 industry categories. According to the magazine, the editors receive more than 20,000 nominations total for their North America, Europe and Asia 30 Under 30 lists.
"Being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 is not just a personal honor, but a recognition of the critical importance of innovating in early dementia detection and healthy aging technologies,” Mekulu said.
Mekulu said that this work began at the intersection of his background in applied mathematics and his passion for health innovation. Through his participation in the Invent Penn State National Science Foundation I-Corps program, Mekulu interviewed more than 150 neurologists, care facility administrators and health care providers. He discovered that long-term care facilities were still relying on paper-and-pencil cognitive assessments from the 1990s.
“These traditional tests are not only highly subjective and outdated but also suffer from practice effects as residents become conditioned to them,” Mekulu said. “Additionally, they only provide point-in-time snapshots rather than continuous monitoring. This revealed a clear need for objective, non-intrusive cognitive screening tools, which led to our development of AI-powered speech analysis technology that can be easily accessed through smart devices, eliminating the limitations of traditional quiz-based assessments."
In addition to the speech analysis application, a virtual reality headset can be used to collect eye-tracking data if additional analysis is needed. Mekulu said that the screening process and technology developed by DementiAnalytics may help with early detection and management of cognitive impairments while saving time and resources for staff members at assisted living facilities, where being understaffed is often an issue.
“Kevin's outstanding research exemplifies not only innovation but compassion,” said Hui Yang, Penn State professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering, director of the Penn State Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT) and Mekulu’s adviser. “His research, dedicated to improving the quality of life of our aging population, starts from an industry-University collaborative project sponsored by Highmark Inc. through the CHOT. He is well poised to make a broad impact on the future of health care, and his recognition on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list is highly deserved.”
In addition to Mekulu, Penn State chemical engineering alumnus Adam Uliana was also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the category of energy and green technology. Uliana, a 2017 Schreyer Honors College scholar, was selected for his work in inventing new metal recovery systems to recover minerals from wastes within the metal mining industry through his company ChemFinity Technologies, which he co-founded in 2022.
The company aims to “address the most impactful environmental challenges in critical mineral recovery, water purification and gas separations,” according to its website. The company has raised more than $6 million since its founding and was selected for Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, according to the Forbes profile.