Shriya Srinivasan, PhD •  Biomedical Engineer

 

I am a

BIOMEDICAL Engineer

Shriya Srinivasan, PhD

Presented by
superhuman body + if/then

MY PATH

How I became a DANCER, GLOBAL HEALTH ADVOCATE & NEURAL INTERFACE ENGINEER.

Chapter 1
 
 
 

Growing up Curious

EXPLORING EVERY AVENUE

01 / As a child and teenager, I followed my interests without a focused direction. I juggled a lot of different activities — violin, swimming, dance, music, debate club, math club. I spent a lot of time with a community of friends doing the same activities.

02 / My parents put a lot of emphasis on hard work and academic discipline. My mother is a famous professional dancer and I spent a lot of time learning the arts as a child.

03 / I played a lot of imaginary games as a kid. I built my own radio when I was young. I did many home projects with my dad like repairing household appliances.

 
 
 
 
Chapter 2
 
 
 

Discovering Biology

HONING IN

01 / I took a lot of STEM classes but didn’t focus on biology until an internship before college. That experience of working for a biomedical startup owned by a young Indian woman really inspired me. I felt I could do something similar one day.

02 /  I graduated from college a year early and missed the deadline for medical school applications. But I remained open to other possibilities so I applied to graduate school programs, even though I didn’t think I’d get in.

03 / I was shocked but excited to get into a Harvard MIT blended program that combined partial medical training with a PhD. This combination turned out to be the perfect foundation for the work I do today.

 
 
 
 
Chapter 3
 
 
 

Bridging Disciplines

TAKING A RISK

01 / In grad school, I was exposed to a lot of very smart and driven people. Some were only a few years ahead of me, and some were very established (like the person who is unraveling the mystery of general anesthesia). I found being in this environment very inspirational and started to believe that I too, could have a grand impact through biology.

02 / I realized I really didn't enjoy traditional biological research like pipetting at a lab bench. So I joined a lab that was building hard robots. I found myself in male-dominated field with a non-standard background for robotics. It felt risky as I was entering a new field.

03 / I learned a lot here and eventually, I became the point person who could speak both “languages” – the medical side, and also the engineering side. This experience showed me the value of interdisciplinary work — which became very important in my career.

 
 
 
 
Chapter 4
 
 
 

Choosing Academia

FINDING MY PLACE

01 / I have a lot of interests and can get quite restless. I considered working at a company, but if I did, I might only work on one thing at a time. But I realized that if I chose academia, I would have more intellectual freedom. That flexibility was very appealing to me.

02 / Along the way, I found my place in neuroengineering. I had seen a lot of people with disabilities (including my grandfather who had ALS). I talked to patients to understand their mobility and sensory limitations. The research in this area resonated with me. I realized I wanted to work on something that directly affected humans and this area was the best fit for my interests, skills, and pursuit of real-world impact.

03 / I did a post-doctoral program at Harvard Society of Fellows (Schmidt Science Fellowship) and then landed an academic position at Harvard where I led a lab focused on the meeting point of engineering, accessibility, biology, and design.

 
 
 
 

MAJOR INFLUENCES

  • My Parents

    My parents placed a strong emphasis on hard work, academic discipline, and learning the arts (dance, music, violin, debate club, etc).

  • Internship

    Before college, I interned at a biomedical startup owned by a young Indian woman — her drive and vision inspired me to expand my idea of what was possible.

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I stayed committed to my goals, but also to unexpected ways to get there.

My path wasn’t pre-planned or pre-designed. I followed my interests and took turns without worrying about the “resume story”. But many of these twists and turns proved beneficial and shaped me into the scientist I am today.

Major Milestones

Internship at Biomedical Startup

I interned at CardioInsight, a company that develops medical devices that measure the electrical activity of the heart. This was when I got really interested in biomedical engineering.

Pivot to Neuroengineering

In graduate school, I took a left turn into neuroengineering. This felt risky as I was entering a new field with so much to learn. Ultimately, it was very rewarding.

COVID: Building a Ventilating Device

During the pandemic lockdown, I founded a non-profit called Project Prana Foundation. We designed and commercialized a low-cost medical device when there was a worldwide shortage.

Things I learned

along the way:

  • Your skills can come from unexpected places.

    I spent countless hours learning dance as a kid. I didn’t know it back then, but that training turned out to be very helpful for my current life. These days, I rely heavily on my dance training to be a good public speaker and presenter.

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PHOTOGRAPHER: Chris Disario • Illustrator: NICK SIROTICH

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