Shrihari Viswanath, a first-year PhD student in the Conformable Decoders group at the MIT Media Lab, has been selected as a 2025–26 Tata Center for Technology and Design Fellow. The fellowship, administered by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), supports students pursuing impactful technological solutions for communities in resource-constrained settings, with a focus on India.

Working under the guidance of Prof. Canan Dagdeviren, Shrihari’s research focuses on the development of a low-cost ultrasound systems for breast cancer screening, aimed at addressing the critical lack of early diagnostic access for women in underserved regions. 

As part of the fellowship, Shrihari will engage directly with healthcare providers, NGOs, and local communities to better understand how this technology can be effectively and sustainably delivered as a screening service in developing countries. These on-the-ground insights will inform his research, which focuses on designing miniaturized electronics and adaptive image reconstruction algorithms to support an accessible and reliable solution. 

The MIT Tata Center, established in 2012 through a gift from Tata Trusts, enables MIT students and faculty to address real-world challenges through solutions that integrate science, engineering, and a deep understanding of social context. Fellows engage closely with communities, NGOs, and industry partners to ensure their work is grounded, practical, and implementable.