Rahul Panicker
{{Short description|Indian technologist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Rahul Panicker
| image = Rahul Panicker 1.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) (B.Tech)
- Stanford University Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering (MS, 2004; Ph.D., 2008)}}
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Mavelikkara, Kerala, India
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| other_names =
| known_for = Co-founder at Embrace, and President and Co-founder at Embrace Innovations
| occupation = President and Co-founder [http://www.embraceinnovations.com/ Embrace Innovations]
}}
Rahul Alex Panicker is a technology leader and entrepreneur, formerly Chief Innovation Officer at the Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, {{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=EmTech Digital AI for Social Good Rahul Panicker, Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence |url=https://events.technologyreview.com/video/watch/rahul-panicker-ai-social-good/ |access-date=March 26, 2019 |website=MIT Tech Review}} and best known as the President and Co-founder of Embrace Innovations{{cite web|last=Mischler|first=Michèle|title=Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2013|url=http://www.schwabfound.org/content/social-entrepreneurs-year-2013|publisher=Schwab Foundation|accessdate=20 March 2013}} and Embrace, a social enterprise startup that aims to help premature and low-birth-weight babies, through a low-cost infant warmer.{{cite news|last=Dooley|first=Sean|title=Embrace Infant Warmer Could Save Thousands|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/embrace-infant-warmer-save-thousands/story?id=12366774|date=17 December 2010}}{{cite news|last=Ahmad|first=Samreen|title=Spreading life-saving warmth|url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main52.asp?filename=Fw090412Spreading.asp|newspaper=Tehelka|date=9 April 2012}}
Until early 2016, Panicker served as the President of Embrace Innovations, a social enterprise that designs and brings to market healthcare technologies for the developing world, starting with an infant warmer. The Embrace infant warmer costs less than 1% of a traditional incubator, and is currently being distributed across clinics in India, and over 15 developing countries.{{cite news|last=Deepa|first=Balakrishnan|title=Portable incubators in 4 states a new lease of life|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/portable-incubators-in-4-states-a-new-lease-of-life-for-babies/290008-62.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726190705/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/portable-incubators-in-4-states-a-new-lease-of-life-for-babies/290008-62.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 July 2013|newspaper=CNN-IBN|date=12 September 2012}}{{cite news|last=Udayabhanu|first=Prem|title=The Keralite who made it to MIT's top 35 Innovators' list|url=http://english.manoramaonline.com/in-depth/startup-village/the-keralite-who-made-it-to-mit-s-top-35-innovators-list.html|newspaper=Manorama Online|date=24 December 2015}}{{cite news|last=Ranganna|first=Akhila|title=Saving Lives: How Rahul Panicker Developed a Low-cost Incubator for Newborns|url=https://www.mansworldindia.com/people/19892/|date=18 January 2016|publisher=Man's World India|accessdate=8 October 2018}} He is also a member of the FICCI Health Innovation Task Force in India.{{cite news|last=IANS|title=National innovation council to build an ecosystem for healthcare products and services|url=http://health.india.com/news/national-innovation-council-to-build-an-ecosystem-for-healthcare-products-and-services/|accessdate=28 May 2013|newspaper=health.india.com}} Starting 2016, he has been engaged in exploring and speaking about the potential impact of AI and what societies can do to prepare for the future, including at TEDx {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130109005737/http://www.tedxiitkharagpur.com/ IIT Kharagpur]}}.
Early life and education
Panicker was born in Mavelikara, Kerala, India {{cite news|last=Sirnate|first=Vasundhara|author-link=Vasundhara Sirnate|title=Embrace of Life|url=http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/living/embrace-of-life|newspaper=Open Magazine|date=3 October 2009}} to Moly and P.C. Mathen Panicker of Kottarakara. He attended Indian Community School, Kuwait, and Sarvodaya Vidyalaya, Trivandrum, India, and hails from Vayalikada, Thiruvananthapuram.{{cite news|last=Udayabhanu|first=Prem|title=The Keralite who made it to MIT's top 35 Innovators' list|url=http://english.manoramaonline.com/in-depth/startup-village/the-keralite-who-made-it-to-mit-s-top-35-innovators-list.html|newspaper=Manorama Online|date=24 December 2015}}
Panicker holds an M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford Department of Electrical Engineering, and a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), India. He is also an alumnus of the design school at Stanford.{{cite news|last=Bagchi|first=Shrabonti|title=SAVING LITTLE LIVES|url=http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQkcvMjAxMS8wOS8xOSNBcjAwNDAw|newspaper=The Times of India|date=19 September 2011|access-date=7 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080156/http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQkcvMjAxMS8wOS8xOSNBcjAwNDAw|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}
As part of his Ph.D. at Stanford, Panicker worked at the interface of machine learning and optics. His thesis work used machine learning techniques to demonstrate a 10 to 100 fold increase in capacity of multimode optical communication systems. His work combined convex optimization, machine learning, adaptive optics and spatial light modulators.{{cite book|last=Panicker|first=Rahul|title=Compensation of Modal Dispersion in Multimode Fiber Systems Using Adaptive Optics Via Convex Optimization|year=2007|publisher=Stanford University|location=Stanford University|isbn=978-0549355779|pages=76|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UgC54o8aSUEC}} He also worked at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, applying artificial neural networks to accelerator-beam controls.
Career
Before starting Embrace, Panicker worked briefly at Infinera Corporation. While there, he worked in a team led by co-founder, President, and member of the Infinera Board, [http://www.infinera.com/company/mgmt.html David F. Welch], Ph.D., in the new products group, working on ultra hi-speed optical telecom systems.
=Embrace=
{{Main|Embrace (non-profit)|Embrace Innovations}}
In 2007, while studying at Stanford, Panicker and a few other fellow graduates were part of a class, Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability, at the d.school at Stanford University. They were asked to create a low-cost infant incubator that could be used in developing countries.{{cite news|publisher=CNBC TV18|title=Embrace: A low cost infant warmer|url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/smementor/mentorade/innovation/embrace-a-low-cost-infant-warmer-693195.html|accessdate=18 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506084224/http://www.moneycontrol.com/smementor/mentorade/innovation/embrace-a-low-cost-infant-warmer-693195.html|archive-date=6 May 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} They designed an infant warmer that worked without electricity, was expected to be low-cost and was designed for use even by rural mothers in developing countries. After the class, they co-founded Embrace (non-profit), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, in 2008 to bring their project to life.{{cite news|last=Platoni|first=Kara|title=Baby, It's Cold Outside|url=http://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=30632|newspaper=Stanford Alumni|date=January–February 2012}} The non-profit entity, Embrace, donates infant warmers to clinics in need, and the for-profit social enterprise, Embrace Innovations, sells the warmers to other clinics.
Embrace has also been awarded the INDEX: Design to Improve Life award in 2011,{{cite web|last=The Daily News Staff|title=Embrace, Stanford enterprise, wins Index Award|date=27 September 2011|url=http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/09/27/embrace-stanford-enterprise-wins-index-award/|publisher=The Stanford Daily|accessdate=27 September 2011}} and the Fast Company Innovation By Design Awards, 2012.{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Mark|title=The 11 Winners Of Our 2012 Innovation By Design Awards|url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671027/the-11-winners-of-our-innovation-by-design-awards|publisher=Fast Company|accessdate=17 October 2012}}{{cite web|last=Kuang|first=Cliff|title=Why Good Design Is Finally A Bottom Line Investment|url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1640520/from-awww-to-awesome-babies-doc-funds-incubators-to-help-save-20m-infants|publisher=Fast Company|accessdate=11 September 2012}}
Awards and recognition
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:Indian company founders
Category:Stanford University alumni
Category:Indian social entrepreneurs
Category:People from Alappuzha district
Category:Winners of The Economist innovation awards
Category:21st-century Indian inventors