2026 U. S. Physics Team Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Park, MD, May 20, 2026—After a rigorous search involving two exams, the American Association of Physics Teachers has identified the members of the United States Physics Team. These bright emerging physicists took the USAPhO+ examination during which they analyzed experimental-style data, constructed and interpreted plots, extract physical parameters, and evaluated uncertainties. This component was designed to assess careful and rigorous reasoning with data in a manner consistent with experimental physics, though without a hands-on laboratory setting. Thus, USAPhO+ served as the final step in selecting the five students traveling to EuPhO and one alternate.
AAPT will also hold a Training & Development Camp (TDP Camp) at the University of Maryland. The TDP Camp will focus on preparation for EuPhO and the development of future competitors, with invitations extended to the traveling team and, space permitting, additional non-senior students. The camp will therefore serve both as preparation for EuPhO and as an opportunity to continue developing future members of the U.S. Physics Team.
The camp will prepare the traveling delegation of the 2026 U.S. Physics Team for the mentally grueling exams and lab tests they'll face at the European Physics Olympiad (EuPhO) to be held June 12–16 in Gothenburg, Sweden, with Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg as hosts. Student scholars from over 40 nations will test their knowledge in physics, competing with the world's best.
The members of the 2026 U.S. Physics Team are:
Ayush Bansal, Cupertino High School, Cupertino, CA
Inika Bassamboo, North Shore Country Day, Winnetka, IL
Raymond Feng, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA (Traveler)
Ethan Gao, The Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ
Eric Hou, Los Gatos High School, Los Gatos, CA
Henry Huang, Mountain View High School, Mountain View, CA
Benjamin Bohan Jiang, Beijing Academy, Beijing, China
Pranava Kumar, North Carolina School of Science and Math, Durham, NC
Jason Liu, West Windsor Plainsboro HS North, Plainsboro, NJ (Traveler)
Shandilya Nookala, Minnesota Connections Academy, Saint Paul, MN
Sohil Rathi, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, CA
Neal Shandilya, Howard High School, Ellicott City, MD
Abhimanyu Singh, Robbinsville High School, Robbinsville, NJ
Mihir Tekal, John P. Stevens High School, Edison, NJ
Herman Uppal, Rocklin High School, Rocklin, CA
Averyl Xu, Stanford Online High School, Redwood City, CA
Yijia Xuan, High Bluff Academy, San Diego, CA (Traveler)
Bryant Yu, Madison West High School, Madison, WI (Traveler)
Owen Zhou, BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ (Traveler)
The coaches for the 2026 U.S. Physics Team are Academic Director, Tengiz Bibilashvili; Coaches, Kellan Colburn, Evan Erickson, Natalie LeBaron, and Rishab Parthasarathy, and Junior Coach, Harry Kroft.
The U.S. Physics Team is sponsored by the generous support of private donors, the American Institute for Physics and the member societies of the American Institute of Physics:
Acoustical Society of America
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Astronomical Society
ACA: The Structural Science Society
American Meteorological Society
American Physical Society
AVS: Science &Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing
Optica
The Society of Rheology
Hosting University:
University of Maryland
Corporate Sponsors:
Cambridge University Press
Citidel and Citadel Securities
D.E. Shaw Group & Company
Non-Trivial
About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. Founded in 1930, the Association is headquartered in the American Center for Physics at College Park, Maryland.
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