Forbes Magazine unveiled its 30 under 30 Class of 2023 yesterday, recognizing young leaders that are turning to entrepreneurship to solve the world’s biggest problems. Brown biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidate Cel Welch was among the honorees in the science category, landing on the list for their research focusing on the creation of new technologies for cellular diagnostics, such as novel electrical and electronic devices, microfluidics, and machine learning techniques.
Forbes’ Under 30 Class of 2023 features honorees in 20 different categories, including: science, art and style, media, entertainment, social media, sports, healthcare, energy, enterprise tech, consumer tech, music, finance, food and drink, social impact, manufacturing and industry, venture capital, marketing and advertising, retail and e-commerce, games, and education.
Welch’s capsule profile on the Forbes site says, “Tissue and cells are the best sample type for diagnostic testing in a variety of diseases, but current methods feature many challenges. Cel Welch has developed technologies to address these problems using microscale physics and engineering. Welch holds four patents, with others pending, on new devices to help with tissue analysis as well as wearable biosensors.”
“Unconventional thinking is at the heart of Forbes’ Under 30 list, and amidst war, market crashes, and layoffs, tomorrow’s brightest minds continue to forge new paths forward,” said Steven Bertoni, Assistant Managing Editor. “Many of the honorees on this year’s list derived these innovative business models during the Covid-19 lock down and are reimagining the ways we consume media, approach reproductive health, fight global warming, and play games, and so much more.”
After receiving a bachelor of science degree from McGill University in 2019, Welch joined the Tripathi Lab at Brown with an interest in translating low-cost, accessible technologies for cancer diagnostics, fetal health, and minority health and disparities applications. Earlier this year, Welch and Professor Anubhav Tripathi were among five global finalists in the Most Innovative Solution in Digital Health and Social Care category of the Institute of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Innovation Awards for TissueSHOCK, a novel electrical method and device to dissociate tissues for downstream single-cell analysis.
Welch was also recently named to IET’s list of 95 inspiring engineers and technologists of the past, present and future.