People

Functional Team

Mr. Ravi Tennety

Head Operations

He is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management passing with distinction, majoring in Marketing and Finance. Priorly, he did his BTech from Birla Institute of Technology, majoring in Electrical and Electronics.

His career spans over 30 years, most of which were in Leadership Roles in large organizations such as Bharti, and Tata, among others. He was the CEO of a $1 bn company, in his most recent assignment. He has completed Executive Programs from the University of Michigan and Ross, Harvard Business School, Indian School of Business, and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He is a distinguished member of various policy-making bodies and has worked closely with various Ministries such as Rural Development, Skill Development, and Labor. He is highly regarded in the industry sector as a leader, speaker, and influencer. In his current role, he will drive the OPSA-funded projects to deliver committed outcomes while bringing the developments in Research to Industry for adoption and co-creation. He plans to create a sustainable supply of innovative scientific developments to Industry, thereby building scale with monetization and a meaningful interlock between Academia and Industry.

Dr. Sreeparna Samanta

Project Manager

Dr. Sreeparna Samanta is the Project Manager at BeST cluster. She has an educational background in Biotechnology with B.Tech. and M.Tech. in Biotechnology, and Ph.D., in Nanobiotechnology from Deakin University Australia.

She has had a variety of positions over her career, including University Relationships Coordinator with RAx Labs, Research Associate with TERI, and Research Executive for Omgene Lifesciences. She also had a brief six-month history as an entrepreneur. Her writing abilities include technical and scientific writing, product blog writing, content curation and development, project management by scheduling the specifics and timelines, maintaining comprehensive project records, and ensuring that all projects adhere to the guidelines outlined by the grants. She has expertise in managing teams and completing tasks under strict deadlines. She has also effectively managed and led initiatives. She has participated in numerous national and international seminars and received honors. She is skilled at giving oral presentations and using PowerPoint. She can work individually or with a team and has strong interpersonal skills. She can handle several projects well and swiftly adapts to changing settings. She works for an NGO in Vadodara named Pathshala and Pathbhavan, Srostswini trust, as a volunteer mentor for Hindi and Science. They work to improve the lives of the children of migrant workers by educating them.

Dr. Nidhya Nadarajan Joghee

Project Manager

Dr. Nidhya N Joghee has an educational background in Biotechnology with B.Tech., Industrial Biotechnology, and Ph.D., Microbial Metabolomics. She has over 7 years of work experience in teaching, research, and entrepreneurship in various public and private institutions.

She has been a part of the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at IIT Madras Research Park for her fellowship in social innovation and immersion by BIRAC (Social Innovation Programme for Products: Affordable & Relevant to Societal Health) mentored by IITM Healthcare Technology Innovation Centre and Tata Institute of Social Sciences. With a keen interest in Biodesign Innovation Process and Social Entrepreneurship, she co-founded a start-up, Spotdot Bioinnovations Pvt Ltd, which develops innovative point-of-care diagnostics for rural antenatal care through industry collaboration and government-funded projects. In her current role as Project Manager at the BeST cluster, Dr. Joghee puts her competencies to contribute to Strategy, Outreach and Communications to build the unique collaborative innovation culture envisioned by BeST. Stakeholder engagement, Consortium building, Industry-Academia Partnership framework, Handling S&T events, Systems thinking are some of the key areas of strength.

Dr. Mrinal Kumar Sarma

Project Manager

Dr Mrinal Kumar Sarma has an educational background with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, Master’s in Biotechnology, and a Ph.D., in Energy from Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India.

After completing his PhD, he joined The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi as a research associate where he worked in R&D of Biofuel from biomass. Afterwards, he joined World Energy Council India, New Delhi and worked there as an energy consultant in Energy policy research. His skills include technical evaluation of project proposal, project development, techno-scientific and project writing, product development, content writing, project management and curation of project dossiers. He is experienced in efficiently delivering outcomes in defined deadlines. He has extensive experience in interdisciplinary work involving academic, industrial, and consulting arenas. He is well versed in interpersonal skills, fluent in oral and PowerPoint presentation with an independently thinking mind and ability to work as part of a team. He is an efficient project manager who maintains a consistent workflow without compromising its quality.

Mr. Keshava K N

Project Associate

Mr. Keshava K N, has a B.E. in Telecommunication Engineering & M.Tech in Digital Electronics and Communication from VTU. His expertise includes program management, project evaluation, organize seminars and conferences and science popularization among academic institutions.

Has been actively involved in interactions with academy, industry, S & T Organizations, and various R & D labs across Karnataka. Has led a contact tracing team of 20 members at BBMP ward-36 during COVID-19 pandemic. The work involved tracing COVID-19 cases in the ward, upload data on the contact tracing App on daily basis and conduct health survey. He is skilled at web development, Prior Art Search, MS Excel, drafting proposals for funding agencies.

Mr. Chinmaya K C

Project Associate

Mr. Chinmaya K C has a M. Tech in ‘Aerospace Propulsion Technology’ and B.E in ‘Mechanical Engineering’. Previously, he worked as ‘Project Associate’ in the Centre for Nanoscience and Engineering (CeNSE) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru for around 5 years, wherein he worked on various projects in the field of semiconductors (gas sensors, strain sensors, etc.).

Also, he was associated with INUP (Indian Nanoelectronics Users Program), I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map), and IAP (Internal Affiliate Program) for carrying out gas sensing slots of academic users, startups, and public sector undertakings. He actively delivered science outreach presentations in his area of expertise to INUP and I-STEM workshop participants during their scheduled visits. Technically, he is strong in nano-material characterization and deposition tools, mechanical design, production and analysis tools, data analysis, MS Office, etc. His exceptional skills include analytical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, handling multiple stakeholders, blogging, proofreading, content writing, scientific writing, etc. With all these capabilities, he is an important team member of BeST cluster.

Dr. Suresh Kumar Mendem

Project Associate

Dr. Suresh Kumar stands at the forefront of interdisciplinary research, boasting over five years of expertise within the realm of One Health. Currently serving as a Project Associate at BeST Cluster in Bangalore, he spearheads projects that bring together academia, healthcare, governmental bodies, and various CSR groups, all dedicated to advancing One Health initiatives.

With a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Goa University and a Doctorate from Gulbarga University Kalburgi, Dr. Mendem’s academic journey has equipped him with comprehensive knowledge in the field. His doctoral thesis, a seminal exploration into the genomics of virulent Staphylococcus strains across multiple clinical settings in South India, illuminated the intricate interactions between these pathogens and host organisms, showcasing his deep expertise in clinical microbiology and genomic analysis. After completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Suresh played a pivotal role in a multinational, multi-disciplinary collaborative project at ICAR-NIVEDI. His investigations into gram-negative pathogens prevalent among farmers and companion animals yielded invaluable insights crucial for devising effective disease management strategies. At the University of Hyderabad, Dr. Suresh’s endeavors focus on leveraging large-scale pathogen data and cutting-edge genomic and machine learning applications to uncover profound insights. His unwavering commitment to addressing complex public health challenges through collaborative research initiatives speaks volumes about his dedication to advancing human and animal welfare. Dr. Suresh’s professional journey exemplifies his steadfast commitment to utilizing scientific expertise for the betterment of society. His multidisciplinary approach and collaborative spirit position him as a valuable asset in confronting emerging infectious diseases and promoting holistic health practices within the framework of One Health.

Chandra Sekhar Reddy.N

Office Executive