Vote for Abhishek Mahesh Appaji

Candidate Statement: Region 10 Representative for IEEE EMBS 

Dr. Abhishek Mahesh Appaji, Ph.D., SMIEEE

As a candidate for IEEE EMBS Region 10 Representative, my mission is to bridge academic clinical research with global industry operations, accelerating lab-to-market MedTech translation across our diverse Asia-Pacific landscape.

Drawing on my leadership as Vice President & COO at A-Collective and my experience directing a deep-tech incubator, I will actively strengthen commercialization pipelines for biomedical innovations, connect student and young professional members with global venture and mentor networks, and initiate cross-society technical summits at the intersection of Ethical AI, computational neuroscience, and accessible healthcare devices.

Building on my proven fiduciary and operational leadership within IEEE—including major board roles across the Education Society, Computer Society, and TAB—I will champion equitable chapter support through targeted Regional Vitality Grants, ensuring emerging chapters receive equal momentum alongside established sections. I pledge to represent Region 10 with transparency, operational agility, and measurable impact for our biomedical community.

Executive Profile & Biography

I am an executive technologist, biomedical researcher, and educator dedicated to bridging cutting-edge engineering innovation with global clinical applications and deep-tech commercialization.

Currently, I serve as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at A-Collective, driving strategic initiatives that connect international university research networks with global industrial ecosystems. Concurrently, I serve as Professor of Practice at Atria University and Guest Faculty at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. Previously, I served as Professor and Head of R&D at B.M.S. College of Engineering (BMSCE) and Executive Director of the BIG Foundation deep-tech incubator.

Core Pillars & Platform for EMBS Region 10

• Accelerating Lab-to-Market Translation: Launch structured mentorship and industry-immersion clinics to help student researchers and early-career investigators navigate clinical validation, patenting, and regulatory roadmaps across Region 10.

• Equitable Chapter Vitality: Establish competitive and needs-based Vitality Micro-Grants to empower smaller and developing EMBS chapters across R10, fostering joint international symposia and student branch collaborations.

• Next-Gen MedTech Frontiers: Promote regional workshops focused on Explainable AI (XAI) in diagnostics, neurotechnology, and low-cost point-of-care medical devices tailored to regional healthcare needs.

• Interdisciplinary Industry-Clinician Bridges: Facilitate dedicated networking corridors connecting engineers directly with healthcare practitioners, hospital consortia, and MedTech venture funds.

Education & Academic Background

• Postdoctoral Fellowship: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, USA

• Ph.D. in Mental Health & Neurosciences: Maastricht University, the Netherlands (Recipient of the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award)

• M.E. in Bioinformatics: University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bengaluru

• M.Tech. in Information Technology: University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), Bengaluru

• B.E. in Medical Electronics: B.M.S. College of Engineering (BMSCE), Bengaluru (University 3rd Rank Holder)

• New Ventures Leadership: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (Bootcamp Winner, Class 5)

Research, Inventions & Clinical Impact

My research spans Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI), computational neuroscience, and accessible biomedical instrumentation.

• Patents & Translation: Hold a granted Indian Patent for an indigenous digital radiography system (X-Ray); translational algorithms currently power AI-driven screening kiosks and hospital monitoring solutions across multiple healthcare centers.

• Publications & Authorship: Authored 2 books—including Transforming Cybersecurity with AI—and published over 100 peer-reviewed journal article papers and international conference proceedings.

• Grants & Consortia: Principal investigator and recipient of competitive research grants from prominent national and international funding bodies, including DST, DBT, DHR, and BIRAC.

IEEE Governance and Volunteering

An active IEEE volunteer and Senior Member for over a decade, I have delivered 200+ invited talks across 50+ countries, championing interdisciplinary education and technological ethics.

• Treasurer, IEEE Education Society (2025–2026)

• Chair, IEEE Computer Society Bangalore Chapter (2026)

• Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE Education Society (2026–2027)

• Member, IEEE TAB Broadening Participation Training & Education Working Group

• Member, IEEE Conference Application Review and Conference Finance Committee (ICC) & IEEE CPC

• Member, IEEE MGA/TA Chapter Operations Committee & IEEE EAB Credentialing Program Committee

• Past Chair, IEEE Signal Processing Society Bangalore Chapter

Selected Honors & Recognition

• IEEE Theodore W. Hissey Outstanding Young Professional Award (2026)

• IEEE MGA Achievement Award (2025)

• Gandhian Young Technological Innovation (GYTI) Award (Conferred at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi)

• Member of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) Honor Society

• MGH CamTech Jugadathon Award & Elderly Care Hackathon Winner (Netherlands)

• IEEE Region 10 Young Professional Achievement Award

• DST INSPIRE Award

• IEEE Computer Society "Chief of Disruption" Award