Sarah Wali

Sarah Wali is a molecular biotechnologist, working at the Chair of Biomedical Electronics of the Technical University of Munich. Her work focuses on developing innovative diagnostic technologies that enable faster and more decentralised detection of infectious diseases by combining biosensing, micro-engineering, and digital analysis. She currently leads the development of BugSense, a translational diagnostics project emerging from TUM that aims to simplify the detection and characterisation of urinary tract infections at the point of care. The BugSense platform integrates paper-based culture assays with compact incubation hardware and digital readout to enable rapid bacterial identification and characterisation outside centralised laboratories. With this project, she bridges academic research and translational innovation, working at the intersection of science, entrepreneurship, and social impact to bring new diagnostic technologies from the laboratory into practical healthcare and real-world applications.