This PhD scholar aspires to change the world; aims to own an R&D startup

How Mahadevan Iyer’s passion for science and biotechnology emerged is quite fascinating. The alumnus from School of Biosciences (SBS) at Apeejay Stya University (ASU) narrates a captivating story behind the origin of this interest.  “I was 4 years old when my dad handed me my first ever comic; it was from the X-Men series. This comic, through and through, talks about manipulation in nature by natural and manufactured incidents. I get so hooked that I keep rushing through comic after comic. Fast forwarding to 2003, I’m in 4^th grade, and I came across this movie, The Bicentennial Man, starring the legendary Robin Williams. During the commercials, they used to share these mini-snippets of insider information. So, they mention this author, ‘Isaac Asimov, a scientist who is originally a biologist and biochemist and the ‘Father of the Laws of Modern Robotics’. So, from Isaac Asimov, I matured to the evergreen Jules Verne, and before I realised, I was neck deep into science and changing the world through tech.”

And then cut to 2010, when Mahadevan entered class 11, he was told that since the seats for computer science were full, it was either Biology or Biotechnology. “I was never majorly fond of Biology per se, so unwillingly, I stepped up and chose Biotechnology. However, my 11^th and 12^th grade teacher taught us so well that I was intensely passionate and connected with the subject. As an apt follow-up, ASU did an excellent job giving me overall academic, professional, social, research and industrial exposure, strong enough to get me to commit to Biotechnology long-term,” Mahadevan emphasises, who is currently a Doctoral Research Fellow at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. Read edited excerpts of the aspiring entrepreneur’s interview as he explains about his research work and trends in the field of Biotechnology.

Tell us about your your professional journey so far?

To quote one of my father-figure mentors from ASU, ‘ I am like this huge mass made of entropy which, if given the right guidance, can become the universe’. I am fond of trying new things, travelling when I can, and am very passionate about reading, writing and cooking.  On the professional front, after completing my Integrated M. Tech in Biotechnology from ASU in 2017, I interned with DRDO Kanpur, worked with DBT and DST, and then a couple of startups. We had a sort of campus startup as well. After graduating and in between jobs, I had my startup, sold it for a decent return, and then volunteered for over a year before returning to research. The idea was to try and explore as many different fields as possible and be sure to pick the right career domain, because I don’t have a concept of hating my decisions, no matter what! So after about 4 years of being at loggerheads with the world and myself, I realised research is my domain.

You are currently pursuing your research work. Did you always aspire to execute your career in this manner? 

I was strictly opposed to doing a PhD; I have always been an entrepreneur. My professors at SBS, ASU, would always say how I am built for research, and I’d laugh it off. But as I progressed with different fields and experimented, I realised they were all right. Not that I regret spending those years trying out other things as I have learnt and grown so much as a person and a researcher. I wish to emphasis that research is not for the faint-hearted. You can be coached to crack an exam, fly a plane or even trek Everest, but research is pretty much like life; there is always the exam first and then the lesson, and if you’re passionate, then you’re going to change the world. I’ve seen it happen.

Tell us about your research work? How will it benefit society?

To put it in simple words, we are building paper biosensors that can be used to detect pesticides and similar organic pollutants in water. We see it as a platform that can be accessible to the masses, independent of electricity, skill, know-how, and any fancy infrastructure. It can also expand to healthcare and diagnostics, and when it does, it will bring home tests such as lipid profiles, KFT or LFT at half the prices of what labs would charge.

Read Here: Prepare for a career in Biotechnology with this institute’s industry-leading curriculum

Share your learnings from Apeejay Stya University?

One of the key learnings I got at ASU was to give oneself the time, space and permission to express and listen to oneself. Apart from the fantastic professional and research exposure, I got umpteen opportunities to explore my skills, strengths, talents and specialties with enough room to work on areas of improvement.  I never felt pressed or rushed for anything, whether assignments or events. It was always warm, comfortable, accommodating and inclusive at ASU.  Most importantly, I met two faculties who forever changed me and my life. And I made a handful of friends.

According to you, what are the two most exciting trends to watch out for in the coming few years?

One might sound scary, but more pathogens are jumping from flora and fauna to humans, the most abundantly available host ever to walk this planet! Second would be the magic of nanoparticles and nanozymes (chemical enzyme mimics) would change the game big time. With just paper and nanoparticles and/or nanozymes, you could design literally anything from regular colour-changing paper biosensors to literal circuitry on paper. No enzymes, no chemicals, just paper and nanoparticles/nanozymes.

Also Read: ‘Biotechnology witnessed a boom in the Covid-19 pandemic’

Where do you see yourself in the coming few years?

 If I look at short-term, then the goal is to work with a European Molecular Biology Laboratory facility. And in the long-term the aim is to have my own R&D startup.