Congratulations, Alekya Bejgam, for successfully defending Ph.D. Thesis!

• Post by: beeslab
• April 19, 2023
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Alekya Bejgam is the fifth Ph.D. student graduating from our research group (BEES LAB, Department of Electronic Systems Engineering – DESE, Formerly CEDT) at IISc in the last six years.

Identifying precise diagnosis and therapy to treat central airway obstruction remains a clinical challenge due to variability in anomalies and clinical symptoms. Visual assessment using conventional bronchoscopy or radiography images from CT scans to quantify the degree of obstruction site is highly subject to the clinician’s expertise. Airway pathology leads to alteration in fluid flow, tissue biomechanics, and loss of patency. To address this clinical challenge, an intraoperative tool was developed to locate the site of obstruction, characterize tracheal tissue stiffness, and quantify the lumen diameter. The research work comprehends all phases involved in the tool development, from fabricating micro-engineered sensors to integrating them on flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) and further validating their utility in a pseudo-physiological test bench using excised sheep tracheal tissues.

Alekya authored four international peer-reviewed research articles and has presented her work at various international scientific meetings. She has an international utility patent (applied) and an Indian design patent (granted). She is also a recipient of the BIRAC SITARE – Gandhian Young Technological Innovation Award (2021) for developing a smart Intubation Catheter for Airway Management.

BEES Lab wishes Alekya a successful career and a bright future ahead!