Sona Shah Email & Phone Number

New York

Neopenda is a low-cost neonatal vital signs monitor designed for low resource settings to reduce neonatal mortality. As a co-founder of Neopenda, an early stage startup, I have helped design the technology and prototype that will be evaluated in an initial assessment trip in Uganda. The vital signs monitor measures heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, and temperature incorporated in a simple and cost effective device. The device also alerts attending staff when a vital sign goes out of range. We have received funding from the Columbia Venture Competition, in which we placed third, and intend to use the funding to support prototype costs and the initial assessment trip. I have also been involved in networking with key stakeholders and conducting interviews with our users and customers.

Drug discovery:• Review new research opportunities for anti-tuberculosis drug discovery• Create a database for several compound classes in lead optimizationCommunity engagement:• Create a pediatric tuberculosis toolkit including a video, presentation, and full curriculum with activities to educate children and their families about risk factors, prevention of, and treatment of childhood tuberculosis in high burden countries

New York, New York

• Determine a suitable positive control for a point-of-care low-cost microfluidic device (mChip) for diagnosis of HIV and Syphilis with the ultimate goal of improving the health of people in developing countries

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

• Served as lead investigator and researcher for all engineering and technical support for the buffer and media makeup area in the BR&D pilot plant• Created a database using Access ® to store all buffer formulations, which enhanced the technical transfer process between multiple groups• Designed and executed multiple technical studies to improve the technical transfer process and reduce cost• Provided on-the-floor technical support and leadership to cell culture operations staff, acting as the main operations contact to other technical resources leading to the production of Bulk API for development and clinical trial purposes• Spearheaded a knowledge management website that allows for cross-functional collaboration and knowledge retention• Helped with engineering recruiting efforts at Georgia Tech and interviewing process

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

• Automated a purification step and analyzed the potential use of buffer concentrates to improve productivity

University Of Central Florida

• Analyzed Adatom Self- Diffusion Barriers using model potentials under Talat Rahman, Ph.D and Handan Yildirim, Ph.D

Master'S Degree, Biomedical Engineering

Activities and Societies: • Graduate BME Society (GraBME) • Society for Biomaterials

Bachelor'S Degree, Chemical Engineering

Activities and Societies: • Alpha Phi Omega • Engineers Without Borders • Society for Women Engineers