The medical equipment that we use in hospitals and homes are the result of not only decades of research & development but also a resolute focus on usability and design.

Divya Sahani, our next pathbreaker, Senior R&D Engineer at Luminate Medical (Galway), leads R&D activities for their medical device, translating the requirements and making sure the product works from idea to actual execution.

Divya talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how her parallel career track in her startup and entrepreneurial journey honed her communication, interpersonal and soft skills in the corporate world.

For students, Do not be afraid to try different things. It is okay to feel confused., but always focus on building skills, not just marks.

Divya, Your background?

I grew up in Mumbai in a simple middle-class family. My mom was a teacher, and my dad worked with the railways, so we lived in railway colonies.

As a child, I was fascinated by the world of radio. I loved listening to shows and often participated in radio quizzes, and surprisingly, I won many prizes. I even sold some of those prizes, like mobile phones and a microwave, to earn extra pocket money.

Without realizing it then, this taught me two important things very early in life. I had an entrepreneurial mindset, and I absolutely loved radio.

I once told my mom that I wanted to become a radio presenter. But coming from a traditional family, my parents encouraged me to first get an engineering degree and then follow my passion.

I didn’t score very well in my CET exams, so my choices were limited. My main preference was a college close to home and any engineering branch I could get. With my score, I got a seat in Biomedical Engineering, which honestly happened by chance.

At that time, I still believed I would eventually move into electronics or sound engineering and find my way into radio. If you asked me back then, I wanted to do something “cool,” maybe become a pilot, a sound engineer, or even a cricketer. I never imagined doing something ordinary.

My thinking was simple. I saw my parents working very hard to live a stable middle-class life. I felt that if I followed exactly the same path, I might stay within the same limits. I wanted to explore different possibilities and create bigger opportunities for myself.

Looking back, my early interests, curiosity, creativity, risk-taking, and love for technology and media, played a huge role in shaping my journey.

What did you do for graduation/post-graduation?

Since Biomedical Engineering happened by chance, I honestly did not know much about the field in the beginning. I even tried to change my branch to Electronics and Telecommunication, but that did not work out.

At that point, I told myself, “I am here now, so I must make something meaningful out of it.”

With my entrepreneurial mindset, I decided to explore as much as I could. I started doing two things in parallel. First, I applied for many internships at places like IITs and startups connected to IITs. Second, after college hours, I began learning Radio Jockeying as a professional skill.

It was not easy. I remember coming home extremely tired, sometimes so exhausted that I would cry, sleep, and then wake up to do it all over again. But deep down, I knew I enjoyed this fast, different, challenging life. It felt like I was building something for myself.

In my second year, after completing multiple internships, I landed an internship at Saifee Hospital as a Biomedical Engineering Intern.

Around the same time, I was watching a lot of Grey’s Anatomy, and being in a real hospital environment created a powerful shift in my thinking. Seeing medical equipment, interacting with doctors, and understanding how technology directly affects patient care sparked a completely new level of interest.

That was when I truly started enjoying healthcare, innovation, and medical devices.

What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in BiomedicalTechnology?

Life itself guided me to this path. I consider myself a multipotential person. I like trying different things before discovering what truly energizes me.

My curiosity about healthcare, technology, and problem-solving helped me explore many directions, including building startups. I experienced both success and failure, made and lost money, but the satisfaction of building something meaningful and helping people was unmatched.

I do not follow a single role model. I look at my own experiences and pay attention to what gives me energy and purpose.

At times, I felt lost. My spiritual master and mentor reminded me that nothing is greater than helping people, or seva. That perspective deeply influenced my choices. I realized that working with medical devices is a powerful way to contribute.

Although I graduated in 2014, I believe my journey is continuously evolving. Every year has shaped my thinking through learning and reflection.

Over time, I started to find my purpose. I realized that healthcare and innovation felt right for me. Seeing that the device that I design, can even positively impact one person reaffirmed something very important — helping people is what I truly enjoy the most.

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Tell us about your career path

My career was not built through a rigid plan. It evolved through exploration, learning, and staying open to opportunities.

Approach / thought process

I focused on learning as much as I could, saying yes to experiences, and paying attention to what genuinely interested me. I believe that clarity comes from doing, not just thinking.

During college, I actively applied for internships. These experiences exposed me to research, hospitals, and real engineering environments. My internship at Saifee Hospital especially deepened my interest in healthcare and medical devices. In 4 years of engineering – I interned with 4 companies and built 2 startups, was editor of college magazine and the general secretary of the college. All these experiences built my confidence.

After graduation, I entered the medical device industry and sunsetted my startups.

I got campus placement with Tata Elxsi, and it was my first corporate company. I started as a Verification and Validation Engineer. V&V is basically testing each requirement of the product is performing as we have said it will. So a system engineer writes the requirement which comes in from different stake holders, and V&V engineer tests if the device is doing what it is saying it is doing. Like for example – blood pressure machine will monitor blood pressure and give result in 35 seconds, V&V engineer will test if the value is displayed in less than 35 seconds or not.

I worked on Infusion Pumps and Syringe pumps for B Braun when I started my career.

I started as a V&V Engineer, then was selected to move as a systems engineer where I would read Medical device standards, do testing for medical devices, write requirements for medical devices. I also ventured in writing and supporting pre-sales teams by drafting proposals for new projects. This helped me secure multiple opportunities like Market Research, travelling around India and then travelling to Germany to present the research. And leading a project which I pitched to a potential client and supporting the operations from California.

My second job was as a Systems Engineer with Medtronic, in their R&D department in Bangalore and I was helping design a patented technology for doing home dialysis. Traditional dialysis would use 650 lts of water, we wanted to do so with less than 20-30 lts of water and make a portable dialysis machine.

I believe, all the previous experience of Radio, working in startups honed my communication, inter-personal and soft skills and this developed me into a well-rounded engineer.

Beyond my degree in Biomedical Engineering, most of my learning came from hands-on work, cross functional collaboration, and continuous self-development.

I learned a lot by working closely with experienced colleagues, mentors, and different teams. Conversations and curiosity played a big role. Trying new things pushes me out of my comfort zone and helps me understand people, different roles and functions in every organization. Most often saying, I’m happy to help – helps me more than others!

Overall, my strategy was simple. Keep learning, keep improving, and trust the journey.

How did you get your first break?

All the experiences I gained during college built my confidence, so cracking interviews was never too difficult. I had two job offers from campus placements and was also involved with two startups. I chose a job that was away from Mumbai because I wanted to move out of home and try new things. That decision helped me grow and explore more.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

Challenge 1 – Uncertainty about my career path

I addressed it by trying different experiences and trusting that clarity would come with time. I am not afraid of risks and believe that I can restart multiple times and do okay.

Challenge 2 – Transition from student life to a professional environment

I learned to adapt, communicate better, and develop practical problem-solving skills. Staying updated with new developments in my field helped me a lot.

Challenge 3 – Starting again

I took a career break in 2019 to start a business, which I pursued until the end of November 2023. Then I moved to Ireland in 2024 and restarted as an engineer. A new country, new people, and starting over in a job was challenging, but it also taught me resilience and adaptability.

Where do you work now?

I currently work in the medical device industry as a Senior R&D Engineer and Product Lead. I focus on usability, human factors, and risk management. My role is to understand a medical device as a whole and help other teams understand and build it. For example, a hardware engineer may not fully understand the needs of clinical departments — it is my job to translate the requirements and make sure the product works for everyone, from idea to actual device.

I currently work as a Senior R&D Engineer at Luminate Medical in Galway. I am leading R&D activities for our Lilac Device, this device is currently ongoing clinical trials in United States, and it helps prevent side effects of Chemotherapy included peripheral neuropathy. Basically, people loose sensations in hands and feet as a side effect of the drug, so we are preventing that side effect.

My first own startup that I started with few colleagues from college was called LoadMatLe – where we helped shopkeepers and small businesses build websites – I used to write content for them – this was in 2012-2013. Then I was a COO at RoomNHouse which was like AirBnb for India back in 2014. This was further sold to Booking.com by our CEO. 

I also parallely worked with FeetApart – now FuroFit and MealTango – I used to work on content management, social media and product thinking – these were my strengths and I used to work on it to get some extra pocket money along with my job. I also trained as a Radio Jockey in Mumbai to follow my passion for it.

What problems do you solve?

I work on device safety, usability, design evaluation, and risk analysis to ensure products are safe and effective for patients.

What skills are needed and how did you build them?

Analytical thinking, attention to detail, communication, structured problem solving, and a system view. I learned these through my education, hands-on projects, and experience. Understanding medical device standards and designing for patients in hospitals is a key part of my work.

What is a typical day like?

My day involves discussions with teams, reviewing designs, evaluating risks, documenting decisions, testing products, and ensuring they are safe for patients. Problem solving is a constant part of the day.

What do you love about this job?

Knowing that my work directly influences patient safety and can improve lives is what I love the most.

How does your work benefit society?

My work helps ensure medical devices are safe, reliable, and user friendly. This ultimately protects patients and supports healthcare professionals.

Memorable work?

The current device I designed, is in clinical trials in the US. I travel to support healthcare professionals to train them on using the device and it is worn by patients who are currently undergoing chemotherapy to help prevent side effects of chemotherapy. If my device works and gives great results – it could mean that patients could live without side effects of cancers and lead a happy and cancer free life!

Your advice to students?

Stay curious.

Do not be afraid to try different things.

It is okay to feel confused.

Build skills, not just marks.

Learn from failures.

Trust that your path will take shape.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR activities shape YOU!

Future plans?

I want to continue growing in healthcare and innovation, keep learning, and contribute in ways that create meaningful impact. Personally, I aim to be a good human being and help people wherever I can.