Over the past decade, my research interest has spanned (in reverse chronological order) : Graphene for Photovoltaics beyond the "Shockley -Queisser limit", Graphene Nanostripes for supercapacitors, Graphene photodetectors and light emitters, Nanoscale Field Emission Devices with plasmonic metals on insulators, Ion-sensitive devices for wearable electronics, Implantable and wearable glucose and lactate sensors, Microfluidic devices for plasmonic detection of multiple pathogens, microfluidic extraction of sperm cells for forensics, Optoelectronic neural probes,  design and simulation of MEMS and NEMS devices for biomedical applications, and all of this exciting journey began with research and development of UAE's first fully autonomous aerial robot (now colloquially called drones) during my freshman year. 

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Before Caltech 2010-2014 Projects

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[1] Bio-Acoustics MEMS in Medicine Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School. (The BAMM lab has now moved to Stanford School of Medicine.)

(i) Multiple pathogen detection using Microfluidic platform based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) (ii) Sperm Cell capture on microfluidic chips using carbohydrate units. * Work Published in Advanced Science 2017

Supervisor:  Prof. Utkan Demirci and Dr. Fatih Inci.

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​​[2] Nanofabrication Lab, California Institute of Technology and Kavli Nanoscience Institute.

SURF:  Wireless Nanoscale Optoelectronic Neural Interfacing and Fabrication of Neural Probes.

Mentor: Prof. Axel Scherer, Bernard A. Niches Professor of Electrical Engineering, Physics and Applied Physics and Akram S. Sadek (Graduate Student).

 

[3] Prime Medical Center, Dubai and BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.

Title: MEMS device for the characterization of Pathological Nystagmus using an EyePad.

Supervisor: Prof. S. Swaminathan and Dr. Mustafa Mahesri.

*This Research was awarded Rank 1 at UAE Undergraduate Student Research competition, with cash prize equivalent to USD 3,000/-

 

[4] BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus and Prime Medical Center, Dubai.

Title: MEMS Modeling of the Peripheral Vestibular system for treating Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)

Supervisors: Prof. S. Swaminathan, Dr. Mustafa Mahesri, ENT Surgeon, Prime Medical Center.

**This Research was awarded Rank 2 at UAE Undergraduate Student Research competition, with cash prize equivalent to USD 2,000/-

 

[5] Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering - BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.

Title: MEMS modeling of the Middle Ear using COMSOL for the treatment of Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media

Supervisor: Prof. S. Swaminathan, BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus  

*Article Published in 2nd Annual Brigham and Women’s Hospital Research Day- Biomedical Research Institute.

 

[6] MEMS and Nanotechnology Center, BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.

Title: Microfluidic System for HIV Detection

Supervisor: Prof. S. Swaminathan, BITS Pilani Dubai Campus

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[7] BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus and National Nanomaterials and MEMS Design Center, Pilani, India.

Title: Design and Simulation of a Biological Cell Separator using COMSOL Multiphysics

Supervisors: Prof. R. K. Mittal, Prof. Niti Nipun Sharma (BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus)

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[8] National Nanomaterials and MEMS Design Center -BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus, India. "Design of an in-plane vibratory MEMS Gyroscope"

Supervisor: Prof. Niti Nipun Sharma, BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

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[9] I.F.O.R. (Intelligent Flying Object for Reconnaissance)- BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus.

Supervisors: Prof. R. K. Mittal and Dr. Anand Kumar, BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, Team Leader: S. Ladha

(Duration: Freshman Year)

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