Shahnawaz “Shah” Ahmed

Co-Founder & CTO at Scalpel Ltd | PhD Computer Vision | London, UK

Applying mathematics and computer vision to engineer connected surgical intelligence in healthcare. Published researcher working at the intersection of geometry, AI, and high-stakes systems.

Surgery is one of the most complex and high-stakes environments in modern society. Yet much of it still relies on fragmented systems, manual checks, and invisible processes.

I build the intelligence layer that makes every step in surgery observable and accountable.

My work sits at the intersection of geometry, perception, and systems engineering. During my PhD at Queen Mary University of London, I focused on one of computer vision’s hardest challenges: identifying and matching patterns in low-textured environments.

When there are no obvious edges or clean features, machines struggle. Solving that requires precision, mathematical modelling, and a deep understanding of structure.

Operating theatres are not so different.

Connected Surgical Intelligence

At Scalpel, I lead the engineering and AI teams building Connected Surgical Intelligence — an infrastructure layer where every tray is tracked, every step is validated, and every stakeholder stays in sync.

I architect systems that make surgery measurable, verifiable, and connected.

By combining computer vision, machine learning, and multimodal sensing, we analyse workflows in real time, detect abnormalities, verify protocol compliance, and track surgical instruments automatically. From automated inventory management to retained foreign object detection, our goal is simple: reduce preventable error through structured intelligence.

Building AI for healthcare is not about novelty. It is about trust.

In high-stakes environments, systems must be precise, reliable, and accountable. My role as CTO is to ensure that what we build is scientifically grounded, operationally robust, and capable of delivering real-world impact.

This site shares the thinking behind that work — from mathematical foundations to surgical infrastructure, and where connected intelligence in healthcare is headed next.