Dr. Chirag R. Gajjar is a textile and polymer scientist in the field of medical devices, with the passion to alleviate pain, restore health and extend the lives of patients. Dr. Gajjar has over 10 years of experience in the medical textile domain, working at the intersection of textile engineering and biomedical science. He started his journey with Dr. Martin W. King's Biomedical Textile Research Group at NC State University, where he obtained his MS degree in Textile Chemistry and PhD degree in Fiber and Polymer Science. Dr. Gajjar has published a book titled ‘Resorbable Polymers for Bio-textile Applications’, and several book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles in collaboration with Dr. Martin King. Chirag has also delivered invited guest lectures and presented his research work in several international conferences.
Dr. Gajjar has worked with several medical device companies, including Covidien and Cardinal Health. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to utilize his knowledge of textiles and nonwovens, enabling Cardinal Health Inc. with rapid manufacturing of surgical gowns, masks, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Currently, Dr. Chirag R. Gajjar works as a Principal R&D Engineer at Medtronic, where he is developing the next generation of complex and challenging Class 3 Medical Textile implants, such as stent grafts, heart valves and other cardiovascular devices that are critical to restore health and extend the lives of patients.