Vivek comes from the southern Indian state of Kerala. He joined MERLN as a PhD candidate in February 2022 after completing his BS-MS Dual degree course in Physics with a minor degree in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram. During his undergraduate studies he worked on various projects involving magnetic materials research and hematopoietic stem cell research at various national institutes across India. During this time he became fascinated with additive manufacturing and its application in biofabrication. And he conducted some studies on 3D bioprinting using a 3D printer which he developed. Continuing with this thread, at MERLN he will be working on the ‘3D-MENTOR’ project, which is aimed at fabricating 3D scaffolds with better mechanical cues for improved osteochondral tissue regeneration. For this he will try to develop a new 3D bioprinter platform based on a robotic arm. This platform would be able to better mimic the anisotropic internal structures of tissues owing to its ability to print nonplanar paths.