Gaurav Manek has always been someone who builds first and asks questions later. There’s a photo of him at five years old, dwarfed by a comically large beige computer and an old IBM keyboard, already reaching for the keys. By eight, he had taught himself his first programming language by watching an older cousin do his homework. In many ways, he doesn’t remember a time before computer science.

Long before he became a Scientist at A*STAR or the founder of Ocellivision, a medical technology startup, he was a student who loved taking things apart and putting them back together — better than before. That passion was recognised early when he received the National Science Scholarship (BS-PhD), a turning point that opened the door to world-class training, a career in research, and eventually, entrepreneurship.

The scholarship gave him more than an education — it gave him the confidence and freedom to explore bold ideas across disciplines. His journey took him to Brown University for a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and then to Carnegie Mellon University for a PhD, where he deepened his expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

But beneath the academic achievements, one constant remained: he was always building.

A Scholar Shaped by Curiosity

Receiving the scholarship was foundational for Gaurav — not just for the opportunities it offered, but because it validated how he thinks. A self-taught coder from the start, he learned programming through sheer fascination rather than formal classes. Over the years, this curiosity grew into a rare hybrid skill set: the ability to work seamlessly across software, electronics, mechanics, and design.

His time overseas amplified this instinct. Rather than confining his tinkering to campus labs, Gaurav built an entire electronics workshop and machine shop in his student housing basement. Evenings and weekends were spent designing and building machines purely for fun — from custom tools to intricate mechanical assemblies. When he eventually returned to Singapore, he shipped most of the components home. Today, they form the backbone of his lab at A*STAR.

The experience broadened his understanding of how science, engineering, and creativity intersect — planting the seed for a company he would one day build from scratch.

Bridging Lab Science With Real-World Needs

Today, Gaurav is the co-founder of Ocellivision, an A*STAR spin-off developing a new intraoperative histopathology imaging system — a next-generation microscope that gives surgeons fast accurate feedback during cancer surgery.

To build it, he draws on every part of his multidisciplinary toolkit: artificial intelligence, imaging, mechanical design, robotics, chemistry, and embedded systems. The system helps clinicians diagnose tissue samples twice as fast, with half the errors, and clearer images to better inform surgical decisions. Achieving such results requires flawless integration — exactly where his interdisciplinary skills shine.

For Gaurav, the transition from research scientist to startup founder felt natural. He has always gravitated toward translating complex ideas into usable tools. The entrepreneurial path simply gave him room to scale that instinct and to build a technology that meaningfully improves patient outcomes.

A Life of Making

Step into Gaurav’s workspace, and almost everything you see, from the tool holders to the specialised fixtures, is something he designed and fabricated himself. Even the 3D printer in the corner is built from parts he 3D-printed himself.

He upgrades, optimises, or redesigns anything in front of him: humidity-controlled filament boxes, a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mill, quadcopters of various sizes, and even a cave diving helmet. He has built custom Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), teaching tools, algorithms, instruments, software, AI systems, and countless micro-projects to quench his innate curiosity.

To him, building is both a craft and a language. With his ability to code, machine, solder, model, and fabricate, he can take an idea from concept to working hardware entirely on his own.

This mindset carries into his scientific work. Whether writing algorithms or designing mechanical assemblies, he believes that the best solutions emerge when you understand how software and hardware inform each other. That harmony is what allows him, and now Ocellivision, to innovate faster and more creatively.

Looking Forward

Gaurav’s journey from a A*STAR Science Award (Junior College) awardee to researcher, inventor, and founder has never been about following a straight path. It has been guided by a single spark: the desire to understand how things work and make them work better.

Today, he hopes to continue building technologies that advance clinical care, strengthen Singapore’s med-tech ecosystem, and inspire future scholars to embrace hands-on innovation. For young scientists still exploring their next step, his story is a reminder that the most meaningful careers often begin with curiosity and the courage to keep building.