Sangeeta Bhatia
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA USA
"I used to feel like I needed to compartmentalize the technical piece of myself from the rest. And in fact, it’s really that uniqueness that makes you different, that makes you valuable."
Career Roadmap
Sangeeta's work combines: Engineering, Science, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Being a woman in this field, I'm constantly underestimated. I developed a coping mechanism of speaking up early on in meetings or making a point to calibrate people to who I am. People make assumptions if you don't do this. You need to help them take you seriously.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
Brown University
Graduate Degree
Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctorate
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Doctorate
Medicine
Harvard University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
She wanted to try biomedical engineering, but it was still a new field, so she reached out to people working in the field to try to figure out which path she wanted to take.
2.
Her first job was in a water testing lab; she found it boring, but it gave her the laboratory experience she needed to explore more of her options.
3.
Then she moved onto a biotech company, but she was frustrated by being in a lab all day; she wanted to have more contact with patients.
4.
Her third job was in artificial organs and nerve regeneration, and it felt like her “Goldilocks” job: her third job was the one that fit just right.
5.
She now runs a lab of 25 people; they’ve invented nanosensors that can roam the human body and search for diseased cells, pushing forward the science of cancer detection.
6.
Other things her lab is working on: regenerating human livers using organic 3D printers, and engineering a bacteria that can enter tumors and treat them from the inside.
7.
In 2003, the MIT Technology Review named her one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.
8.
But she says that even as far as she’s come, she still struggles with imposter syndrome; the way she overcomes it is by continuing to work hard and celebrate her successes.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
I'm not taken seriously. I don't belong here.
How I responded:
Being a woman in this field, I'm constantly underestimated. I developed a coping mechanism of speaking up early on in meetings or making a point to calibrate people to who I am. People make assumptions if you don't do this. You need to help them take you seriously.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I struggled with "imposter syndrome" and constantly asked myself if I was good enough. I'm constantly the only woman at the table, but making us more visible will make it easier for women in this field in the future.