Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Arjun is the child of immigrants from India. While navigating the complexities of a new life in a different culture, Arjun’s parents fostered an atmosphere of resilience, scientific curiosity, and a strong spirit of service. As engineers, his parents frequently devised experiments with Arjun and his little brother using household items, such as creating invisible ink from lemon juice, and encouraged rigorous inquiry—inspiring the mindset he would continue cultivating well beyond childhood.
Living in proximity to phenomenal research institutions such as The University of Texas at Dallas, Arjun found a mentor in Anjan Panneer Selvam, who exposed him to the marvels and challenges of modern medicine. Arjun completed his first research experience in this lab, developing a point-of-care biosensor for early cancer diagnosis.
Staying in Texas for his undergraduate tenure, Arjun graduated with highest honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s of business administration in business honors and a bachelor’s of science & arts in biochemistry, along with coursework and research in engineering, data science, and artificial intelligence. In school, Arjun researched in the Anslyn Research Group under Eric Anslyn, worked closely with Professor Mark McDermott and Professor Prabhudev Konana, and was involved in the community, founding e-NABLE at UT Austin and volunteering at UT University Health Services and Next Thinkers, a nonprofit he co-founded to provide computers to under resourced communities.
A prolific researcher and inventor, Arjun holds multiple patents and publications, with his works appearing in many reputable journals, including IEEE, Surgical Clinics, Chemistry of Materials, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Frontiers in Oncology, and Trends in Cancer. Additionally, Arjun’s fascination with transforming laboratory discoveries into far-reaching solutions that impact others sparked his interest in innovation. From re-engineering cooling systems to expand global vaccine access, designing precision agriculture technology to increase crop yield, and developing intelligent medical drains to improve post-surgical outcomes, Arjun has cultivated a wide breadth of venture and translational experience, including working at Santé Ventures and advising at A-Level Capital.
Currently, Arjun is pursuing an MD at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where, in addition to his clinical training, he leads multiple research and commercialization efforts with preeminent neurosurgical physician-innovators such as Nicholas Theodore (through the HEPIUS Innovation Lab), Fernando Gonzalez, and Jordan Amadio in an effort to improve the current medical paradigm. Ultimately, Arjun aims to be a physician-innovator, bridging the gaps among practical medicine, research, and innovation—serving as a conduit between developing solutions at the bench and translating them to the bedside.
