Hearing Their Call

As CEO of Sohum Innovation Lab, Nitin Sisodia drives his team towards innovation that meets unmet clinical needs in resource-constrained countries like India

From electrical engineering to biodesign

The problems of today’s world are complex and require a multidisciplinary approach; one needs to develop capabilities to solve them with multiple skill sets. The Eames Report, which is the foundation document to initiate design education in India, stresses on creative destruction with the amalgamation of different disciplines. I am an electrical engineer who went on to study industrial design at the National Institute of Design. After a short stint with Maruti Suzuki, I joined the Stanford-India Biodesign fellowship, a flagship program of the Indian Government’s Department of Biotechnology in collaboration with Stanford University, AIIMS and IIT Delhi.

Engineering, design and biodesign gave me the capability to use different frames to look at a problem and find an appropriate solution. The analytical part of electrical engineering education combines with the creative process of design, and the business outlook of bio-design to provide me with the holistic sense to solve problems and look for impact. But there is no set pattern which helps; at times I have to learn new things to innovate. In the past I have designed toys, bicycles, cars, and medical devices, all of which required me to learn completely new skill sets. For me it’s a fun-filled journey.

Trying to effect change