In 2011, we welcomed Polina Anikeeva as the AMAX Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Anikeeva graduated from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University with the B.S. in Biophysics in 2003, and received the Ph.D. from our Department in 2009, focusing on physical properties and design of light emitting devices based on organic materials and nanoparticles, working under the supervision of Prof. Vladimir Bulovic in EECS. Prior to joining the DMSE faculty, she held the Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, School of Medicine, Stanford and was in the group of Prof. Karl Deisseroth in the Department of Bioengineering. Her current research is centered on development of novel non-invasive methods for in vivo neural stimulation and design of opto-electronic devices for simultaneous recording and stimulation of neural circuits.
When asked to describe her research interests, Dr. Anikeeva writes, “There is a missing link between laboratory and clinical neuroscience research and industrial medical device development. I intend to bridge the gap between those two worlds by developing hybrid functional materials and devices for clinical applications. . . . My initial research will focus on projects dedicated to the development of hybrid materials and devices that act as interpreters between man-made electronics and neural circuits through the conversion of electromagnetic (EM) field energy in the form of radio-frequency (RF) field or light into a change of the electrochemical potential across cellular membranes.” She is enthusiastic about pursuing her research interests at MIT, where collaborations between colleagues, departments, and schools create innovations almost daily.
She explains that, “While research is a very significant part, of my life, I cannot possibly imagine a fulfilling career without teaching. My goal, as a future teacher, is to infect the students with my curiosity for materials science and to inspire them to become future academic and industry leaders in the field.” She hopes to create a subject that teaches hybrid organic-nanoparticle optoelectronics, offering students hands-on lab sessions.