Jan 2020 – Aug 2021 · 1 yr 7 mos · NCL Innovation Park, Pune

Dec 2017 – Dec 2019 · 2 yrs · NCL Innovation Park, Pune

• 'Nayam Innovations Pvt. Ltd.' is a high growth IP-driven biomedical device company developing next-generation intraocular lens implant to give spectacle-free vision to post-cataract surgery patients. The team is a mix of dedicated scientists and engineers from California Institute of Technology, National Chemical Laboratory, IIT Bombay and serial entrepreneurs from India as well as silicon valley supported by a world-renowned ophthalmologist. The company is funded by BIRAC, Venture Center and Villgro and supported by IKP Knowledge Park.
• (i) Spearheading technical efforts for medical device concept/design development, design verification/ validation, device fabrication, and testing/ validation, sterilization, packaging through liaising with prototyping, manufacturing, testing facilities besides preparing technical documentations for regulatory approvals, fund-raising, patent drafting, etc.
• (ii) Work spans from material selection, developing various designs for intra-ocular lens molds by CAD modeling and its fabrication by injection molding to make photo-curable polymer lenses; design and fabrication of custom components by SLA/FDM 3D printing, vacuum casting, CNC machining or laser cutting for optical characterization set-up; also, physico-chemical, mechanical and biological assessment of material and device, etc. in accordance with ISO, ASTM and ANSI standards; clean room packaging and EtO sterilization, in addition to, researching on competitor products, patent landscape, scientific literature and regulatory strategy.

Oct 2016 – Jun 2017 · 8 mos · Spain

• Only Indian student to get selected for 'Talent Technology Entrepreneurship Program' (TEP) 2016-17.
• A) Learning module:
• i) Polymer technology (Polymer Materials, Polymeric Product Design, Injection Molding, Computer Assisted Design tools- CATIA, Rheology Finite Element Analysis- MOLDFLOW, Structural Finite Element Analysis- ANSYS)
• ii) Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Innovation basics, Creativity, Feasibility, Business plan, Entrepreneurship, Strategy planning, Market analysis, Competitive intelligence, etc.)
• B) R&D Project module
• Under the aegis of TEP program, I got an opportunity to serve as Technical Engineer (full time) in one of the medical device development projects of Health Unit at Leartiker S. Coop. Our team at Leartiker, in collaboration with medical professionals, has been developing novel design for ostomy device.
• Project Title: Medical grade polymer (liquid silicone rubber)-based medical device development
• Phase 1 (will be covered as TEP project):
• i) Literature survey of LSR-based medical devices
• a) Prior art search using EPO patent data base
• b) Current advancements in LSR-based medical devices used in clinical practice
• ii) Medical professional interaction to understand gaps in current devices and need and scope of improvement
• iii) Building dummy model of ostomy using 3D printing from CT scan images provided by medical professional collaborator
• iii) Developing primary designs of medical device prototypes using CATIA software
• iv) Fabrication of early prototype device using FDM 3D printing
• v) Preliminary material characterization of LSR 4330
• vi) Finalization of new device design and reporting
• Phase 2 (will be continued by Leartiker team):
• i) Design of injection molding mold using CATIA software
• ii) Fabrication of injection molding mold using CNC lathe machining
• iii) Fabrication of medical device using injection molding under GMP manufacturing facility (ISO 7 clean room)
• iv) Testing and validation
• v) Reporting

Sep 2015 – Oct 2015 · 1 mo · Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences

• Research visit to University of Oxford (UK), I worked with Prof. Andrew Carr, Head and Nuffield Professor, Nuffield Department of Orthopedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, to study in-vitro biocompatibility (using human tendon-derived cells from healthy hamstring tendon) of polymer composite electrospun scaffolds developed at IIT Bombay lab (parent institute).

May 2014 – Apr 2016 · 1 yr 11 mos · Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre, IIT Bombay, INDIA

• Research Associate (part time) on innovative R&D project with Industrial Research and Consultancy Centre (IRCC), IIT Bombay; Joint collaboration with industry partner Titan Eye+ (TATA group), Bangalore, INDIA, for project ‘Drishti: Universal Eyeglasses’.
• Led Innovation and Technology development for Universal Eye Glasses (patented & award-winning technology).
• Developed prototype of intelligence module and auto-tunable-focus lens module for quantification and correction of refractive errors in human eye, respectively.
• Work involved fabrication of on-lens micro-electrode structures, liquid crystal (LC) lens assembly and study of focal length change under the influence of variable electric field applied using on-lens micro-electrodes for achieving tunability.