Rahanna Khan ’17, MS, is a PhD student at NYU studying toxicants and child health. At Adelphi, she majored in biology, performed in music ensembles and found her research path through the Honors College. A dedicated mentor and science communicator, Rahanna believes creativity is key to impactful research and outreach.
Member of Adelphi University’s 10 Under 10
PhD student at NYU’s Division of Environmental Medicine
Rahanna Khan ’17, MS, is a fourth-year PhD student in the systemic toxicology concentration at NYU’s Division of Environmental Medicine, where she studies how environmental toxicants—specifically the flame-retardant PBDE-47—contribute to preterm birth and infant neurodevelopmental outcomes. As a scientist and artist, Rahanna blends research, communication and community service in every step of her academic journey.
At Adelphi, Rahanna pursued her BS in Biology while actively participating in music and the Honors College, performing with Best of Broadway, the Jazz Ensemble and Paws and Rewind. She was drawn to Adelphi not only by its research opportunities and intimate learning environment but also by the memory of attending the Alice Hoffman Young Writers Retreat on campus. The Honors College, supportive faculty and the unique Adelphi in Australia program solidified her decision.
Mentors like Andrea Ward, PhD, played a pivotal role—helping her design a research project based on a class proposal and guiding her through graduate school applications. Professors Sidney Boquiren, PhD, and Alan Dr. Schoenfeld, PhD, and Richard Garner, PhD, founding dean of the Adelphi University Honors College, also helped shape her interdisciplinary lens, showing her how creativity and science can intertwine.
After Adelphi, Rahanna earned her MS in Toxicology at St. John’s University as a Clare Boothe Luce Fellow, then completed a postgraduate research associate position at Yale School of Medicine studying autoimmune disease. She entered NYU’s PhD program in 2021, winning a competitive pilot grant in her first year to fund her doctoral research.
Outside the lab, Rahanna serves as vice president of her department’s student council, a student representative on multiple academic boards and a community educator, serving with North Brooklyn Neighbors and the Ramapough Lunaape Tribe. She also mentors students through Adelphi, St. John’s and Project SHORT.
She continues to perform and train in Indian Kathak dance and believes her artistic roots help her thrive as a strategic thinker and science communicator.
Her advice to students: “Try the things that scare you. There’s always something to learn from unfamiliar territory—even if the path ahead isn’t perfectly clear.”