Changing the World Quietly

The Bright!Tax Global Scholar Award was established in 2017 by leading US expat tax services firm Bright!Tax to assist exceptional young Americans who wish to study overseas.

David Miller was the stand-out candidate in a crowded and talented field of over 100 candidates for the latest award. He will be taking up a place on a Master’s degree course in Health Science Data at University College London (UCL) in September 2020.

As an undergraduate, David volunteered in the University of Pennsylvania’s oncology department, helping to create a clinical database to improve radiation treatment in lymphoma. This work spawned several research projects. In one, David helped extract and analyze the effects of radiation on Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a breakthrough cancer treatment in leukemia and lymphoma developed at the University of Pennsylvania. This original research produced four journal publications and an abstract that was awarded the Resident Clinical Research Award at the 2019 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Conference.

David is also Chief Science Officer of MyGrow Design, a biotech startup funded by the University of Pennsylvania’s start up incubator that develops biodegradable materials (alternatives to plastics) for sustainable product design. 

The Bright!Tax Awards Committee was particularly impressed by David’s understanding of what it means to be American. David said: “The defining American characteristic is determination. The spirit of our nation is rooted in its ability to confront a problem with a sense of urgency and ingenuity; to not back down from difficulty but to face it with resolve and ask how thinking differently can lead to new solutions. This is the type of determination that was woven throughout all of the stories I grew up hearing about the founding of our country. It took a personal tragedy for me to glimpse this in my own story. The experience moved me to see the potential of science anew: the use of knowledge to reduce suffering. ” 

Bright!Tax CEO Greg Dewald created the Bright!Tax Global Scholar Award following his own experiences studying abroad.

Dewald said: “David is a great example to all young Americans. As we all see in the news, lots of young people want to change the world for the better, but David is approaching it differently, by taking small but considered, positive, and above all intelligent steps. The world needs individuals like David, and with Bright!Tax’ support I’m sure he’ll achieve great things.”

Bright!Tax is a leading, award-winning provider of US tax services to the estimated 9 million Americans living overseas.