Dr. Karthik Mahesh — Operations Associate

deep-tech | med-tech | microfluidics | microfabrication My professional life has been very dynamic with lots of pivots across fields. I started off as a biotechnology engineer during my undergraduation because it "just felt right" to me at that point of time given my love for all things biology. During my master's, I became fascinated with the tiny world of microfluidics, which slowly transitioned into an obsession. This led me to dabble in a project for my masters' thesis that involved miniaturizing the gold standard ELISA immunoassay onto a microfluidic chip. Although my efforts never saw the light of day, the experience taught me a lot about this field and about research in general. But....this wasn't enough. To further satiate my curiosity, I did a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in microfluidics impedance cytometry, where I developed and patented a novel microfabrication technique to probe individual blood cells electromechanically. After making this tiny addition to humanity's knowledge, I decided to do a postdoc at Lund Unversity, where I enjoyed working in the world class Lund Nano Lab (LNL) cleanroom facility. However, I realized that that doing research without seeing any societal impact was not my cup of tea. I quit my postdoc and joined C-CAMP, where I was the head of two facilities - an ISO 13485-certified MedTech rapid prototyping facility, and a 'Microfluidics and Microfabrication' facility. I enjoyed working here for 3 years on unique microfabrication and medical device projects. My wonderful team and I could support 70+ startups, researchers, and corporates in advancing diagnostics and healthcare technologies. By this time, I had developed a fair understanding of the Indian innovation landscape, especially in deep-tech life-science based innovations. So when an interview call from NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) came out of the blue, I couldn't say no. I got through the interview and at AIM, I led the deep-tech program where I attempted to create policy interventions to address the ecosystem gaps of deep-tech innovation in India. I am still searching for the next thing that catches my fancy, but anything related to microfluidics, microfabrication, med-tech, and deep-tech innovation is close to my heart. Beyond the workplace, I geek out on all things related to science & technology, nature, wildlife, travel, food, and films.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in deep-tech and med-tech innovation with a focus on microfluidics.

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Experience: 9 yrs 10 mos

Skills

Medical Devices
Program Management
Microfabrication

Career Highlights

Developed patented microfabrication technique.
Led deep-tech initiatives at NITI Aayog.
Supported 70+ startups in MedTech innovation.

Work Experience

nasscom

Manager - Deep Tech (0 mo)

NITI Aayog

Program Lead (Consultant Grade II) - Deep Tech (6 mos)

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP)

Head/Associate Director, MedTech Rapid Prototyping µFab (3 yrs)

Facility In-Charge, Microfluidics and Microfabrication Facility, BLiSC (2 yrs)

Lund University

Postdoctoral Fellow (8 mos)

Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE)

Senior Research Fellow (3 yrs 8 mos)

Junior Research Fellow (2 yrs)

Education

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD at Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Master of Technology - MTech at Ramaiah Institute Of Technology

Bachelor of Engineering - BE at Ramaiah Institute Of Technology

Class 12 at Kendriya Vidyalaya

Class 10 at Kendriya Vidyalaya

Dr. Karthik Mahesh

Operations Associate

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India9 yrs 10 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Developed patented microfabrication technique.
Led deep-tech initiatives at NITI Aayog.
Supported 70+ startups in MedTech innovation.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in deep-tech and med-tech innovation with a focus on microfluidics.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Medical DevicesProgram ManagementMicrofabrication

Other Skills

Grant ManagementProposal WritingCustomer Driven InnovationBusiness StrategyProduct DevelopmentISO 13485MicrofluidicsBiotechnology

About

Experience

9 yrs 10 mos

Total Experience

2 yrs 5 mos

Average Tenure

0 mo

Current Experience

Nasscom

Manager - Deep Tech

May 2026 – Present · 0 mo · Bengaluru · On-site

Niti aayog

Program Lead (Consultant Grade II) - Deep Tech

Aug 2025 – Feb 2026 · 6 mos · New Delhi, Delhi, India · On-site

NITI Aayog is the apex public policy think-tank of the government of India. Here, I led deep tech initiatives of the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM 2.0) - the second phase of the Indian government's flagship innovation program. As a part of my role, I was in charge of a budget of ₹50 crores (~USD $5.5 milion), and involved in identifying and addressing ecosystem gaps for the promotion of deep tech innovation across India.

Centre for cellular and molecular platforms (c-camp)

2 roles

Head/Associate Director, MedTech Rapid Prototyping µFab

Mar 2022 – Mar 2025 · 3 yrs · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

At C-CAMP, I was the head of a ₹9.62 crores (~USD $1.2 million) ISO 13485-certified facility dedicated towards designing, prototyping, and pilot-scale manufacturing of medical devices and microfluidic devices. This facility was set up with support from the National Biopharma Mission (NBM) initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India.
During my tenure, I oversaw all aspects of facility operations - technical feasibility studies, project management, budgets, hiring and performance reviews, ISO 13485 audits, cleanroom operations, grant management, and proposal writing. Over three years, I also managed 9+ individuals who directly reported to me. Along with my team, I helped conduct 9+ workshops on various aspects of medical devices, microfabrication, and the regulatory affairs governing their use.
Over three years, my team and I supported 70+ MedTech startups through more than 170 unique projects. Before I stepped down, I helped C-CAMP bag a ~$500,000 USD grant from the Govt. of India's Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to set up new infrastructure for a medical devices testing facility that will be NABL and ISO 17025 certified.

Program ManagementMedical Devices

Facility In-Charge, Microfluidics and Microfabrication Facility, BLiSC

Mar 2022 – Mar 2024 · 2 yrs · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

I was leading the Microfluidics and Microfabrication Facility at the Bangalore Life Science Cluster (also called BLiSC, which is a consortium of 4 different life science institutes - NCBS, C-CAMP, inStem, and TIGS). This was an additional charge to my primary role at C-CAMP MedTech.
As a part of my role, I was helping the cluster operate and maintain a Class 10000 cleanroom facility, which was dedicated towards microfabrication of SU-8 and PDMS-based devices for biological research.

Program ManagementMicrofabrication

Lund university

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jun 2021 – Feb 2022 · 8 mos · Lund, Skåne County, Sweden · On-site

I received an offer from Lund University in March 2021 and started working remotely on some activities from June before moving on-site to Sweden in July.
Worked on an interdisciplinary project involving 'Dielectrophoresis-Assisted Nanopore Transfection' at the Division of Solid State Physics (FTF). My preliminary research findings were accepted for an oral presentation at the MRS Spring Meeting 2022 (Hawaii). During my 9-month stint, I gained extensive nanofabrication experience in the world-class 'Nano Lund' cleanroom facility.

Centre for nano science and engineering (cense)

2 roles

Senior Research Fellow

Promoted

Jul 2017 – Mar 2021 · 3 yrs 8 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

After I cleared my Ph.D. comprehensive exam in July 2017, I assumed the role of a Senior Research Fellow. Presented my work at IEEE NEMS 2018 (Singapore) and IEEE Sensors 2019 (Montreal). Published research articles in high-impact journals such as 'Lab on a Chip' and 'Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering'. My work also led to an Indian patent being granted.
Towards the end of my Ph.D. (March 2020 onwards), the COVID pandemic ravaged India. The prevailing lockdowns caused a few delays in my thesis submission. My thesis colloquium was held in October 2020 and I submitted my final thesis the following month. I successfully defended my thesis on February 19, 2021 and formally received my doctorate degree on March 27, 2021.
Over the course of my Ph.D, I acquired skill sets in various interdisciplinary topics. Some major ones are listed below:
Primary expertise: Impedance Cytometry, Microfluidics, BioMEMS/Lab-on-a-Chip
Microfabrication: Photolithography (Contact Aligners), Thin Film Deposition (Evaporation, Sputtering), Etching (Wet, DRIE, RIE), Mask Writing, Soft Lithography, Cleanroom Operations
Metrology: AFM, SEM, Surface Profilometry, High-Speed Imaging
Software: COMSOL, MATLAB, LT-SPICE, Python, Prism, Fusion360, CleWin, SolidWorks
Biology: Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunoassays, Histology
Other Skills: Technical Writing, Science Communication, IP Disclosures, Data Analytics, Biostatistics

Junior Research Fellow

Jul 2015 – Jul 2017 · 2 yrs · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Built a strong research problem in microfluidics impedance cytometry and conducted an extensive literature survey. I presented my preliminary experimental findings at IEEE MEMS 2017 (Las Vegas).