Why Interdisciplinary Thinkers in STEM will Lead the Future: Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa’s Journey from Biomedical + Aerospace Engineering to MedTech Startup entrepreneur

🎙️ Creating Your Own Path as a STEMM Professional with Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa

 

"If not me then who" - why you may actually be the one who should take the first step and how to get started.

 

What if your unique combination of STEMM degrees could solve a global health problem?

Are you a STEMM professional ready to pivot your career or start something new?

 In this episode, Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa—biomedical, mechanical and aerospatial engineer and medtech founder—shares how she used her diverse STEM background to create Misti, a groundbreaking respiratory care and lung advanced drug delivery innovation. Learn how interdisciplinary thinking, knowledge brokering, and imperfect action can help you build your own path outside traditional science careers.

🔍 **What You’ll Learn: 

• How to identify your unique "knowledge brokering" superpower and your purpose
• learn practical steps to start validating your ideas (even with Nobel Prize winners!),
• gain the confidence to take imperfect action because "scrappy progress is better than no progress."
• How to put together a roadmap that can get you started and later on grow

 

Listen now to transform your perspective from "I need more credentials" to "I already have everything I need to start."

 

 📌 **Key Topics:**

In this episode we explore additional themes, including :

• How to recognise opportunities
• The financials of getting through the first 6 months
• How to get your opinion heard and why it matters
• Why being clear on your message is the foundation of creating opprotunities
• Why you don’t have to be part of the 5am club everyday

And much more

 

 

Episode Timeline:

• [00:00] Introduction to Multiple Hats and Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa
• [02:45] What is Misty and why it should exist
• [06:30] The two product lines: My Misty and Med Misty
• [13:00] Anushi's academic journey: from electrical to aerospace engineering
• [16:30] The undervalued superpower of "knowledge brokering"
• [21:45] Early career experiences and grant writing lessons
• [28:00] Giving your expertise a voice and platform
• [31:30] First steps in founding Misty during the pandemic
• [37:00] Morning routines and managing priorities
• [38:45] Building a roadmap with IP, regulatory and customer focus
• [45:00] The role of accelerators and mentors
• [49:30] Funding journey: from small experiments to product development
• [55:30] Overcoming the perfectionism trap in product development
• [57:30] Customer engagement strategies without marketing
• [1:01:30] Privileges and systemic issues faced as a founder

 

🔗 **Resources & Links:**

Misti: https://www.misti.com.au

Anushi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anushi/

Startmate Accelerator: https://www.startmate.com/

 

🤔 Reflection time:

What pivot could your unique combination of STEMM skills make possible?

Discover how your apparently unrelated experiences might be your greatest superpower.

 

 

 

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: