Arav Fernandes

Arav Fernandes is a first-year Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering student and Air Force ROTC cadet. A Columbus, Ohio native, he is the oldest of two brothers and the first in his family to attend Notre Dame. He seeks to bring a unique perspective to the Tocqueville Fellowship as a STEM major interested in discussing policy related to advanced technologies, as well as the ethics of the use of artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, and nuclear energy. Arav often serves mass as an altar server at Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is a member of the South Asian Student Association, and intends to participate in Bengal Bouts in Spring 2026. He hopes to enroll in the Reilly Center’s Dual Degree program for Chinese, and has applied for an internship with Battelle in biotechnology. He will be commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Space Force, and aspires to become a mission specialist astronaut post-service.