Goa, July 11 -- Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski is often compared to Albert Einstein, not because she has matched his achievements, but because she is working on one of physics' greatest unsolved mysteries-reconciling gravity with quantum mechanics.

Born in Chicago in 1993, Pasterski displayed extraordinary talent from an early age. At just 12, she began building a Zenith CH 601 XL aircraft from a kit and completed the project before turning 14. She later flew the single-engine plane herself, years before she was legally old enough to drive.

Her passion for science continued at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she graduated in only three years with a perfect 5.0 GPA. She became the first woman in nearly two decades to t...