In Conversation with Dr Amit Pujari
Dr. Amit Pujari is a biomedical engineer who researches medical device development and neurophysiology. A Senior Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, Dr. Pujari was recently announced as a recipient of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship. In an interview with members of the Youth STEM Matters Team Lizzie Bourn and Ruvarashe Nyabando, he shares his work and advice for aspiring engineers...
Dr Amit Pujari
Can you tell us a bit about the projects that you’re currently working on?
Amit: I’m working on some really exciting projects at the moment, one of which is on stroke rehabilitation. Strokes can result in neurological disorders and many people lose their sense of touch and develop spasticity, meaning constant muscle stiffness, to the extent that it is disabling. I have developed a device which delivers tiny pulses of mechanical vibrations to the patient’s fingertips, targeting the sensory nerve endings. Our sensing abilities and motor (i.e. movement) capacities are closely linked, so hopefully if we can even slightly improve the sensory capabilities of people who have had a stroke, then, in the longer term, their motor capabilities will also improve.
The second project I’m working on is for people who have a spinal cord injury, which can result in patients being unable to move their arms and limbs. This spasticity can lead to pain and loss of range of motion in joints. With it being harder to control movement, everyday tasks like feeding yourself become difficult, it’s unsafe to drive, and falls out of wheelchairs are common. The second device I’ve developed, which I’ll be testing soon, delivers tiny pulses specifically to the muscles which are spastic, to relieve the stiffness and hopefully to increase the patients’ range of motion
Engineering is a very diverse field - what made you decide to pursue biomedical engineering specifically?
“I realised that by using engineering skills you can actually try and improve people’s lives and people’s health, whether that is for diagnosis or treatment.”
Amit: Although both my parents completed school, I was the first one in my family to do an undergraduate degree. So, when I was doing my engineering degree back in India, I didn’t have anybody from my family to guide me. When I had to pick my degree, I decided to go for ‘instrumentation and control engineering’, because that sounded nice and grand - it had a nice ring to it! To be honest I didn’t know what I specifically wanted to do, but in the third year of my degree, there was an elective/optional subject called ‘biomedical instrumentation’. This grabbed my attention as I realised that by using engineering skills you can actually try and improve people’s lives and people’s health, whether that is for diagnosis or treatment. The idea that you can use your engineering knowledge to actually improve somebody’s health and hopefully make their lives better really fascinated me, and since then I’ve pursued my career in biomedical engineering.
What influenced you to go into research and teaching as opposed to working in industry?
Amit: I don’t think I know where that came from...I knew when I was doing my undergraduate degree that I wanted to do a PhD, even though I didn’t know what exactly a PhD was at the time. After I graduated, I worked for two years in industry where I was thrown in the deep end and gained hands-on experience. I was working on medical imaging, and because my degree wasn’t in biomedical engineering, it was a steep learning curve for me, but I really enjoyed it. To gain more understanding in biomedical engineering, I decided that I wanted to do a master’s degree, and came to the UK to do it. I was hooked on the research aspect, and I really enjoyed working on a project; solving a problem in-depth, at my own pace and time. From this, I had an inkling that research is something which I would be really interested in, and perhaps would be good at doing, so I pursued a PhD. That cemented my idea that this is what I wanted to do as I really enjoyed extended periods of research and working on something in-depth.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
Amit: It depends on which month it is. As an Assistant Professor, I have multiple responsibilities as part of my role. If you want to divide that, I have research, teaching, and admin duties. So, admin means maintaining websites, communicating with students, relating their marks, setting assessments, and assessing their work. I enjoy interactions with students, especially individually for their project supervision, which might involve meeting students and guiding them on their project. During the busy term times, I don’t find much time for research, but when there are fewer meetings, assessments, or teaching then I typically spend time carrying out experiments in my lab and supervising my PhD student. As a researcher, I am on multiple committees, and am also a reviewer for a number of scientific journals and funding bodies. If I’m writing a paper based on my own work, then I’m perhaps working virtually with my collaborators in Canada, New Zealand, India or South Africa, so, quite a lot of collaborative work is happening as well. There is so much variation in my day to day work, every day varies - perhaps that is what is interesting about it.
Biomedical engineering is an evolving field. What are some upcoming developments that you’re excited for?
“We can use the data and combine it with telemetry for remote locations to provide treatment, diagnostics and treatment facilities in remote areas. Especially in developing nations, that is of huge benefit.”
Amit: I think neurotechnology or brain computer interface are areas with tremendous potential. Combined with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, we can look into biomedical health data. Or, we can use the data and combine it with telemetry for remote locations to provide treatment, diagnostics and treatment facilities in remote areas. Especially in developing nations, that is of huge benefit.
What’s something that you’ve learned during your studies or time in the field that you think should be more widely acknowledged or known by the general public?
That’s a difficult question to answer. I think it’s the other way around, actually? People don’t necessarily know what is happening in a university, and not everybody has time, knowledge or understanding to know the very specifics of a specialist area. I think what’s recently been acknowledged is that there is an onus on scientists to communicate science to the wider public. That’s the side that I think is more important - I think it should come from scientists rather than from the public.
What influenced you to pursue a career in your field, and is it something you would recommend to others?
Amit: The short answer is absolutely, yes. Being a biomedical engineer, I am more biased towards this, but it is, I think, the most fascinating engineering topic and the most fascinating topic ever. Especially at the moment, because there is so much happening; advancement in science, advancement in engineering, advancement in computing. It’s a really fascinating time to be an engineer or scientist, because of the breath-taking speed that the advancements are happening.
“Everything we’ve achieved so far is because we are able to use technology and computing power in order to further understand our own body, nature, animals, and even the universe.”
Right now, everything is becoming interdisciplinary: you need to know a little bit about technology in order to do science, and you need to know a little bit about science in order to do engineering. But that makes it even more interesting, because you need to learn about different fields. Most of the breakthroughs happen at the boundaries of different disciplines - it means everything we’ve achieved so far is because we are able to use technology and computing power in order to further understand our own body, nature, animals, and even the universe.
What are some key traits or skills that you think are necessary to possess or learn in order to succeed in a PhD?
Amit: I think intelligence is overrated. For a PhD, you need to have perseverance, combined with real enthusiasm, interest and passion for something. They take a significant time to complete — anything from 2-10+ years — so the single most important trait you will need is that persistence to keep at it.
Since you’re working in research, you must have experience in choosing a candidate for internships or similar positions. When making that decision, what do you look for in a successful candidate?
Amit: I think there is always a subjective opinion when you are hiring someone, but if I’m taking on someone, then they most likely meet the requirements stated in the job description and person specifications. To achieve the objectives of the project(s) in the role, the person needs to have that skillset (or can show they can learn those skills!), so the questions would be geared towards probing those skills/competencies in the interview.
“The person needs to have real passion and enthusiasm about that project and the subject area.”
Equally important for me is whether the person has passion. Even if you don’t have that entire skillset, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not the best person for the job. The person needs to have real passion and enthusiasm about that project and the subject area.
I think it’s essential to know that when you apply for a position, if people think that you are suitable, then they will invite you for an interview, and if they don’t think that you’re suitable, that’s fine, you won’t be shortlisted, you won’t be called for an interview. And also, it’s important to know that if you apply for something and you don’t get shortlisted or interviewed, it doesn’t mean that you are somehow lesser as an individual or as a professional. It just means that what they’re looking for is not fitting with your profile. If you’re applying for a position, and have lots of enthusiasm but only have half the skillset/experience, don’t pull back. If you really want to go and learn and have that tenacity, drive and work ethic, then absolutely go for it.
What advice would you give to a young person who’s an aspiring biomedical engineer?
Amit: Be aware of the latest developments in the area. I think doing a bit of groundwork or homework is extremely important, because all fields are being developed at such a rapid pace that you need to know what is happening. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and what you are aspiring towards within biomedical engineering. This would be my advice for anybody, not only for biomedical engineers. Also, we live in an increasingly online world, so almost everything you want to learn is available online; there are a plethora of courses from top universities and experts from across the world teaching them. With some time and hard work, you can learn almost anything and everything.
“With some time and hard work, you can learn almost anything and everything.”
Article originally published in the Youth STEM Matters Issue 1 Print Edition (April 2022) - information correct at time of print publication
