Presently, I am working as the Chief Scientist at Cytoveris Inc., a start-up company based in Connecticut, USA. My company aims at developing and deploying Raman spectroscopy-based precision device for a real-time intraoperative margin assessment of breast cancer. I am also an affiliate Assistant Professor at the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs where I teach a course on Biophotonics in the fall semester. I joined CytoVeris to satisfy my conviction to translate spectroscopy-based devices from the laboratory bench to a clinical bedside. Before this role, I was an Assistant Professor at Connecticut Children's Innovation Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
I was born in a small village called Madhawapur which is located in the Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh, India. My father is a retired professor and my mother is a homemaker, who had maximum impact on my life especially in shaping my career. I completed my elementary education at my maternal family’s ancestral village, Dubauli in Deoria district. Both my paternal and maternal families nurtured my inquisitive nature and provided me the best possible care and education. I moved to a city called Gorakhpur for my higher secondary education and secured admission to then prestigious M.G. Inter College. I earned my bachelor's degree in Science from St. Andrews College, Gorakhpur. After completing my B.S., I wanted to prepare for Civil Services Examination but realized that it may affect the education of my younger siblings, with just a respectable household income. Considering my family situation, I decided to explore an alternative career path and I took admission to the Master's Program at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. During my Masters, I developed a great interest in research and decided to pursue a Ph.D. I earned my Ph.D. at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore from the dept. of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and got well-trained in the area of Raman spectroscopy. IISc days were transformative in my life where I not only learned about Science but also about various aspects of society and leadership. At IISc, I treasured several people who are my lifetime friends. One of them was my best lab-mate Bhawana who eventually became my wife.
A significant departure from my fundamental doctoral research, I developed an innate interest in frontier areas of Raman spectroscopy where my research can be directly applicable to society. To realize my dream and advance my knowledge, I moved to the United States for my postdoctoral research. After a year of post-doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh, I got an opportunity to join the prestigious G.R. Harrison Spectroscopy Lab of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known for its immense contributions in the field of spectroscopy. My research work at MIT was in the area of Biomedical and Clinical applications of Raman spectroscopy.
Science is my religion and I love to explore and innovate new things. Personally, I am a straight-forward, rationale, and amicable individual who is an avid learner busy in continuous update and up-gradation of my current version, to become a better scientist and more importantly, a better Rishi.
About me
