Draft:Kisan Khatri

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Kisan Khatri
Born	(1995-03-22) March 22, 1995 Gaumukhi, Pyuthan District, Lumbini Province, Nepal
Alma mater	Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus (B.Sc.) Tribhuvan University (M.Sc.) Temple University (Ph.D.)
Known for	Computational biophysics, bioinformatics, and the application of machine learning in protein evolution Also known as a global civic advocate who speaks for social justice, humanity, and good governance on a global scale
Awards	Temple University Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (2023) Biophysical Society Bridging Award (2026) Biophysical Society Travel Award (2026)
Scientific career
Doctoral advisors	Prof. Ronald M. Levy, Prof. Allan Haldane Prof. Rongjia Tao

Dr. Kisan Khatri (born March 22, 1995) is a Nepali physicist, computational biophysicist, and global civic advocate. He is known for his research in computational biophysics, specifically leveraging physics-inspired artificial intelligence and machine learning models to analyze protein evolution, genetic mutations, and drug resistance. Parallel to his academic work, Khatri is active in public diplomacy, digital literacy campaigns, and youth leadership within the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA). He speaks up for social justice, good governance, sovereignty, peace and humanity at the Global Scale.

Early life and education

Dr. Khatri was born in a remote village within the Gaumukhi Rural Municipality of Pyuthan District, Lumbini Province, Nepal, into a traditional farming family. He completed his early education up to the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) in 2010 (2066 BS) through public schools taught in the Nepali medium where he was the only one student to pass SLC in the first division. At the age of 15, he relocated from his home district to pursue higher education. His academic and social journey is very inspiring as he belongs a normal background yet receives remarkable achievements maintaining multidimensional personality.

He completed his Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) science curriculum (12th grade) at Tilottama Campus in Butwal, Rupandehi. He subsequently enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) program at Butwal Multiple Campus before transferring to Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus in Kathmandu, where he graduated in 2016 as part of Tribhuvan University's inaugural four-year B.Sc. batch. He was the Nepal topper in Real Analysis in BSc second year.

In 2021, Khatri earned his Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Physics from the Central Department of Physics at Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur. In 2022, he moved to the United States after securing a full scholarship for doctoral studies in Physics. He attended Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and completed his Ph.D. in Physics within four years (three years and eleven months), successfully defending his dissertation on July 9, 2026, becoming the fastest PhD defense in the history among all Nepali students pursuing PhD in STEM field from the USA.

Academic and scientific career

Khatri's doctoral research at Temple University was conducted under the supervision of professors Ronald M. Levy and Allan Haldane. His scientific work focuses on computational biophysics and bioinformatics, specifically applying generative artificial intelligence and physics-inspired machine learning models, such as the Potts model and Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) Transformers, to study protein family sequence statistics and evolution. His research also aims to predict structural protein mutations associated with type II drug resistance in cancer and leukemias, including Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).

Khatri's research portfolio includes scientific articles across computational biophysics, condensed matter physics, and atmospheric and solar physics, with multiple papers published in Q1-ranked academic journals. During his academic tenure, he has served as a peer reviewer and judge for scientific literature within his field. He was also selected as a panelist for Temple University’s Graduate School event, "Navigating the Hidden Curriculum: First-Generation Graduate Student Panel."

Postdoctoral Research

Following his doctoral studies, Khatri joined Thomas Jefferson University as a Postdoctoral Fellow. His current research focuses on drug discovery and delivery pipelines, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models applied to pulmonary disease systems.

Public advocacy and civic engagement

Dr. Khatri has engaged in social justice and public policy advocacy since his young age when he was 13. Despite his upper class caste in Nepal, he used to speak up against caste discrimination in his village. He belong from so called upper class cast in Nepal. He had made template, 'There is a caste as it gives identity, however, discrimination on the name of caste, color or any background is unacceptable". Within Nepali society, he operates as a commentator on national governance, balanced international diplomacy, and educational reform. He raises the voice for voiceless people. His public commentary and educational videos covering education, civics, good governance, truth, justice, peace, and humanity can be found and heard across various social media platforms. His public commentary frequently addresses the societal impacts of artificial intelligence, emphasizing the necessity of digital literacy and critical thinking to combat online misinformation among the public. He has published articles correcting unusual activities of established personalities in the national media. He has also achieved progress from his voices.

In April 2026, Khatri participated in the Consular Services Camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, organized by the NRNA Pennsylvania Chapter alongside the Consulate General of Nepal in New York, to engage local diaspora and diplomatic officials. In September 2026, acting as the Youth Chair for the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA NCC USA), he served as a Youth Representative at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York, where he participated in the high-level climate resiliency meeting titled "Sagarmatha to the Sea."

Khatri's academic achievements and social initiatives have been profiled by several major Nepali national news outlets as well as U.S.-based Nepali diaspora media. Media profiles have highlighted his reception among youth networks following his public advocacy campaigns. Raised in an agrarian household, his background informs his community advocacy regarding educational accessibility and social equity in rural communities. Throughout his career, his public commentary has emphasized the integration of ethical integrity, professional honesty, and civic responsibility within scientific research, balanced international diplomacy, and national governance.

Awards and recognition

• 2023: Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Physics, Temple University
• 2026: Bridging Award, Biophysical Society
• 2026: Travel Award, Biophysical Society

Selected publications

• Khatri, K. (2026). Potts and MSA Transformer Models of Protein Fitness Landscapes (Doctoral dissertation, Temple University).
• Khatri, K., Levy, R. M., & Haldane, A. (2025). Phylogenetic corrections and higher-order sequence statistics in protein families: Potts vs multiple sequence alignment transformer machine learning models. Physical review research, 7(4), 043077.
• Maisuradze, G. G., Thakur, A., Khatri, K., Haldane, A., & Levy, R. M. (2025). Predicting side chain conformations in folded proteins by AlphaFold: Perspective and challenges. Biophysical journal, 124(21), 3755-3771.
• Karki, R., Khatri, K., Adhikari, K., Adhikari, N. P., & Pantha, N. (2021). First principles study of structural, electronic and magnetic properties of defected (monovacant) hexagonal boron nitride sheet. Journal of Nepal Physical Society, 7(4), 19-27.
• Dawadi, N., Shrestha, M. K., Khatri, K., Poudyal, K. N., Karki, I. B., & Tiwari, B. R. (2026). Estimation of the global solar radiation using RadEst 3.00 software at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal. BIBECHANA, 23(1), 31-39.

References

• https://www.nepalpress.com/2026/08/15/753982/from-plow-and-spade-to-the-worlds-laboratory-dr-kisan-khatris-extraordinary-journey/
• https://samajtimes.com/2026/08/18/98583/
• https://www.dainikpatra.com/epaper/2026/08/16/%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%88%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%95-%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%a4%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0-%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b7%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%9f%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%af-%e0%a4%a6%e0%a5%88%e0%a4%a8-1897/
• https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DyrPyWPvM/
• https://nagariknews.nagariknetwork.com/blog/a-young-scientist-s-satire-on-minister-pun-the-spectacle-of-a-mature-person-is-not-palatable-71-83.html

External links

• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?authuser=1&user=IXMrAFsAAAAJ
• ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kisan-Khatri
• GitHub: https://github.com/kisan-khatri
• Orcid: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0009-0000-5445-4858
• Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/me/uploads?q=&f=shared_with_me%3Afalse&l=list&p=1&s=10&sort=newest
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kisan-khatri-phd-b670651aa/?isSelfProfile=true