Fellow:Syeda Fatima

Syeda S. Fatima is a University Innovation Fellow and enthusiastic biomedical engineering undergraduate at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), specializing in cell and tissue engineering.

Syeda joined the quest to become a University Innovation Fellow in order to better the education system of universities across the nation and to urge them into adapting a collaborative learning approach, which merges both theory and practical applications. In doing so, she works with Epicenter leaders at Stanford University and VentureWell (formerly NCIIA) to ensure all students graduate with an entrepreneurial mindset. Her goal is to create a program at her university which will train students to think in a practical way and apply material learned in theory to solve real life problems.

Throughout her career at IIT Syeda has worked with various industry professionals and professors in order gain hands-on experience in engineering and entrepreneurship. Syeda first discovered her interest in engineering based entrepreneurship and innovation through participating in intense undergraduate research at IIT. Syeda has worked in various biomedical laboratories within the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, serving as a research assistant working on diabetes and blood flow research as well as biomedical prosthetics. In order to continue making significant contributions to biomedical research, Syeda has been awarded the Armour College of Engineering (ACE)* research grant.

Intrigued by her experiences with biomedical research and apparatus design, Syeda began working as a Product Development and Design Engineer in Advanced Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Syeda works with a physical therapist and former IIT graduate on designing and launching a patented physical therapy product, which is in production.

Syeda is passionate about integrating the biomedical engineering curriculum at IIT with entrepreneurship, innovation and product design based learning. This integration will allow students with the opportunity to pursue hands-on projects integrated into lectured based learning.

Syeda is currently working towards her B.Sc in biomedical engineering and hopes to expand her career by working in the engineering and entrepreneurship industry in the coming years.

She has recently began a research internship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and her work will focus on developing and improving arm- and- motor based prosthetics, in order to aid stroke survivors regain motor movement.

* ACE PURE is a collaborative effort involving ACE faculty, the Wanger Institute for Sustainable Energy Research (WISER), the Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, and the Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH). Students selected to participate in this program have the opportunity to work with an IIT faculty mentor on a fundamental engineering research project, gain valuable research experience, and receive a stipend.