Sudesh Sivarasu

Biography

Prof. Sudesh Sivarasu is the DSI/NRF SARChI South African Research Chair in Biomedical Engineering Innovation and a leading figure in biomedical engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He serves as the Director of UCT’s Biomedical Engineering Research Centre and heads UCT MedTech. Prof. Sivarasu is also a Professor and Head of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Human Biology at UCT and holds an adjunct position as International Professor in Global Health and Technology at Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.

Renowned for his prolific contributions to medical innovation, Prof. Sivarasu is recognised as UCT’s second-most active inventor. He holds 66 patent applications across 21 patent families, with 27 patents granted in jurisdictions including the USA, UK, EU, South Africa, and India. In addition to patents, he has contributed three open-source innovations, making his work widely accessible. His groundbreaking innovations have led to the establishment of five UCT spin-off companies: reScribe Therapy, Impulse Biomedical, VAS MedTech, Khaya Health Tech, and Health Shot—ventures initiated by his student innovators trained at UCT’s MedTech laboratories.

Prof. Sivarasu is the creator of FrugalBiodesign™, an award-winning methodology for developing medical devices tailored for resource-constrained environments. Under his leadership, the Medical Devices Lab and Orthopaedic Biomechanics Lab at UCT have delivered transformative health technologies, including reScribe, Laxmeter, PatRig, Ptosis Crutches, ZiBiPen, Easysqueezy, and the FlexiGyn platform.

With a strong focus on developing appropriate health technologies for low-resource settings, Prof. Sivarasu’s research spans medical device innovation, orthopaedic biomechanics, and technology translation. He has supervised 56 students to completion, including 7 PhD, 40 MSc, and 9 Honours graduates, and is currently supervising 18 students, comprising 8 PhD and 10 MSc candidates.

Prof. Sivarasu has a distinguished academic output, with over 54 peer-reviewed journal articles, 62 conference publications, 1 book, and 12 book chapters. His work has garnered widespread recognition, earning him prestigious accolades such as the UCT Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Innovation, the NSTF-South32 TW Kambule Award for Emerging Researchers, and the DST Innovation Bridge Award, alongside 20 MedTech awards across four continents.

An advocate for science communication and global collaboration, Prof. Sivarasu is an elected member of the Global Young Academy (GYA) and the South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS). Through his visionary leadership, he continues to drive impactful innovations that bridge the gap between engineering and healthcare, improving lives worldwide.