Karan Hiremath ’12
23 ● San Francisco, CA ● Software Engineer at BioBots
After receiving your bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania, to where did you turn your attention?
I was the first software engineer at the startup BioBots, which produces 3D bioprinters and bioinks that build 3D living tissues out of human cells for research in materials science, tissue engineering, and biology. I lead the software product strategy and manage data collection initiatives with customers and internally within the company. My work determines how to best leverage hardware, software, and wetware tools to solve customers’ problems by automating manual processes.
Karan, what about the mission of BioBots interests you?
We are at the cusp of a biological revolution which will radically revolutionize the way research and development is done across many industries including pharmaceuticals, academia, agriculture, medical devices, energy, and cosmetics. The work we do at BioBots is aimed at automating and optimizing every portion of this workflow and our technology aims to eliminate the organ waiting list, reduce the cost and failures in the drug development process, revert climate change, and live on other planets.
Can you point to something that you are particularly proud of thus far in your career?
In a year and a half our team at BioBots has designed, manufactured, and sold two models of 3D bioprinters in 28 countries which are being used for research in materials science, tissue engineering, and biology at universities, small and medium sized biotechnology and contract research organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. Over 20,000 experiments have been completed on our platform and our customers are performing thousands of new experiments a week.
In what ways did MFS shape you to become the Karan Hiremath of today?
MFS taught me how to tackle a problem from multiple angles and the importance of process in developing solutions. Whether it was through in-class projects, extracurricular activities such as robotics, or even activities like Spirit Week and Meeting for Worship, MFS provided me with the right framework to collect data about a problem, brainstorm solutions, evaluate solutions based on metrics, and develop those solutions while iterating as quickly as possible. This has become crucial in helping me break down a seemingly impossible challenge into manageable pieces and creating a sufficient solution to the problem at hand. I also greatly appreciated the encouragement to apply what I learned in class outside the classroom through activities and programs such as Senior Project as these helped teach me early on that the most valuable part of an education was determining how to translate knowledge into skills that can be applied on the job.
Anything else you would like to share?
In the Fall 2017 feature story of the Among Friends alumni magazine, 30 young alumni under the age of 30-years-old were profiled for their promising talent. Karan Hiremath ’12 was one of our 30 under Thirty.