At one of his routine dental check-ups, Bhargav Iyer was told he’d make a great dentist.
“I knew I wanted to do something in health care, and I’d always been drawn to science,” Iyer said. “It’s about the people, not the teeth, and it compensates well. So why not?”
So, Iyer decided to pursue biology at Washington State University with the intent of going to dental school after graduation.
“Biology was the fastest path to get where I wanted to go, but with biology specifically, I really liked what I saw in the field,” said Iyer, who comes from Puyallup, Washington. “I got to learn about cells, and I love trees and whales and water and all that junk.”
As an undergraduate, Iyer became a research assistant in the lab of Xiaofeng Guo, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry. Iyer’s work focused on converting waste from molten salt reactors into glass for safe, permanent disposal. The research got him a spot as a visiting scholar with the Canadian Light Source, a synchrotron radiation facility in Saskatoon.
…it turns out there’s this disconnect between science and politics that hinders advancement. We need more people who aren’t one or the other but have a foot in each pool.
Bhargav Iyer, 2026 graduate
Washington State University
“I met a bunch of scientists with long titles in nuclear energy, and I’d asked why we don’t have more of these facilities,” Iyer said. “And it turns out there’s this disconnect between science and politics that hinders advancement. We need more people who aren’t one or the other but have a foot in each pool.”
This revelation put Iyer on track to get involved with public policy. He became director of legislative affairs for the Associated Students of WSU and went to Olympia to advocate for student interests in higher education.
“Figuring out that public service is a path that I’m drawn to has been very rewarding,” Iyer said. “Being somebody that people can go to in the community, can rely on, and be a friend for, has been huge for me. It’s taught me a lot about myself but also what the community needs.”
Iyer will take a gap year before pursuing dental school. He hopes to eventually merge his scientific background with his interest in public policy.
