On Monday, March 10, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, had the honor of hosting Professor Polina Anikeeva from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Hassel and Marianne Ledbetter MatSE colloquium series. Anikeeva, a professor of materials science and engineering and brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is widely recognized for her groundbreaking contributions to neural engineering and bioelectronics.
Her accolades include the NSF CAREER Award, DARPA Young Investigator Award, NIH Pioneer Award and recognition as an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35. Anikeeva develops innovative solutions for interfacing electronic materials with the human nervous system. She expressed her appreciation for the “incredible beauty of the complexity of the nervous system” at the beginning of her talk.
A core theme of Anikeeva’s research is overcoming the challenge of integrating traditional semiconductor-based neural probes with the soft, dynamic nature of biological tissues. This has led to the development of cutting-edge neural probes, enabling precise stimulation of neurons.
Beyond electrical and optical techniques, Anikeeva is pioneering the use of magnetic fields for neuromodulation. By leveraging advanced materials and nanotechnology, her lab is developing non-invasive methods to deliver signals deep into the nervous system.
Anikeeva’s research is pushing the boundaries of neural engineering by merging semiconductor physics, bioelectronics and neurobiology. Her work has far-reaching implications for medical technology, offering new solutions for treating neurological disorders, advancing brain-machine interfaces and developing next-generation implantable medical devices.
Professor Anikeeva’s seminar at Illinois was an inspiring demonstration of tremendous interdisciplinary research at the interface of materials science and neuroscience.