Deblina Sarkar

Assistant Professor of Media Arts and Sciences; AT&T Career Development Professor
Contact Information:
Groups
  • Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek

AT&T Career Development Chair Professor 

Deblina Sarkar is an assistant professor at MIT and AT&T Career Development Chair Professor at MIT Media Lab. She heads the  Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group. Her group carries out trans-disciplinary research fusing engineering, applied physics, and biology, aiming to bridge the gap between nanotechnology and synthetic biology to develop disruptive technologies for nanoelectronic devices and create new paradigms for human-machine symbiosis. The two main research directions in her group are: 

  1. To develop disruptive technologies for ultra-low power nanoelectronic devices as energy efficient hardware for Artificial Intelligence
  2. To merge such next generation technologies with living-matter to create new paradigm for human-machine symbiosis in order to transform health-care.

Sarkar is a trans-disciplinary innovator, initially trained in electrical engineering and physics and then, has traversed the realm of biology, driven by curiosity and belief that truly disruptive technologies can immerge at the interface of diverse research arenas. Her inventions include, among others, a 6-atom thick channel quantum-mechanical transistor overcoming fundamental power limitations, an ultra-sensitive label-free biosensor, technology revealing previously invisible biological nanostructures of brain and the first ultra-miniaturized antenna that operates inside a living cell in 3D environment. 

Her PhD dissertation was honored as one of the top 3 dissertations throughout USA and Canada in the field of Mathematics, Physical sciences and all departments of Engineering. She is the recipient of numerous other awards and recognitions, including the Lancaster Award for best PhD dissertation at UCSB, Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 from India, NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology (only awardee worldwide in 2022), Innovative Early Career Engineer by National Academy of Engineering, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award with the highest and rarely achieved impact score, the MIND Prize , the Science News' 10 Scientists to Watch , the Distinguished Scientist Award (one of the 3 awardees nationwide) and many more. For details see https://web.mit.edu/deblina-sarkar/honors.html

Sarkar’s research goal is to achieve seamless integration of nanoelectronics into biological systems to incorporate functionalities, not otherwise enabled by biology, and thus, transcending humans beyond diseases and biological limitations.


For more details visit: https://web.mit.edu/deblina-sarkar/

Post Research

Deblina Sarkar wins The Sontag Foundation's Distinguished Scientist Award

Professor Deblina Sarkar has been awarded The Sontag Foundation’s Distinguished Scientist Award—one of three winners nationwide this year.
Post Research

Deblina Sarkar named to the 2023 SN 10: Scientists to Watch list by Science News

Sarkar among the 2023 SN 10: Scientists to Watch, early and mid-career scientists who are making extraordinary contributions to their field.
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Deblina Sarkar is among the seven scientists featured by MIND Prize in Nature Neuroscience

The seven scientists who recently received the inaugural 2023 MIND Prize appeared on the inside cover of the May edition of Nature&nbs…
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Deblina Sarkar receives the NIH Director's New Innovator Award

She is being recognized by the NIH for unusually innovative work in the development of biomedical implants that defy the need for surgery.
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Deblina Sarkar receives 2023 MIND Prize

Congratulations to Professor Deblina Sarkar on being selected for a 2023 Maximizing Innovation in Neuroscience Discovery (MIND) Prize.
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Deblina Sarkar awarded the Perfect and Rarely Achieved Impact Score by National Institute of Health

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has awarded the perfect and rarely achieved impact score to Prof. Deblina Sarkar for her NIH Directo…
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Deblina Sarkar awarded the 2022 IEEE Nanotechnology Council (NTC) Early Career Award in Nanotechnology

This award recognizes individuals who have made contributions with major impact on the field of nanotechnology.
Post Research

Deblina Sarkar receives the R00 Award from National Institute of Health

The highly prestigious R00 award is from the National Institute of General Medical Science (NIGMS) of the National Institute of Health.
Article Research

Cell Rover: Exploring and augmenting the inner world of the cell

MIT researchers describe an intracellular antenna that's compatible with 3D biological systems + can operate wirelessly inside a living cell
Article Research

Flat transistor defies the limit

The finding opens up avenues to the development of integrated circuits that have extremely low power consumption.
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Deblina Sarkar recognized as an Innovative Early Career Engineer by National Academy of Engineering

National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has recognized Deblina Sarkar, assistant professor at MIT and AT&T Career Development Chair Profe…
Article Research

Microscopy technique reveals hidden nanostructures in cells and tissues

Separating densely packed molecules before imaging allows them to become visible for the first time.
Article Research

Deblina Sarkar joins the MIT Media Lab faculty

New research group aims to bridge the gap between nanotechnology and synthetic biology.