COPE Seminar Series | Polymeric Mixed Conductors for Bioelectronic Sensors

Abstract: Organic mixed ionic and electronic charge conductors offer a unique toolbox for establishing electrical communication with biological systems. In this talk, I will introduce this rising class of materials for bioelectronic interfacing and explain how their multifunctionality can be harnessed to develop next-generation electronic devices operating at aqueous electrolyte interfaces. I will highlight applications where these devices are used to detect biochemical molecules and perceive and process physiological signals. Drawing from our experience with patient samples, I will address potential shortcomings of proof-of-concept biosensor platforms and explore strategies for overcoming these challenges.

Biography: Sahika Inal is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudia Arabia, with affiliated appointments in Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Since 2016, she has led the Organic Bioelectronics Lab, where her group develops organic mixed ionic-electronic materials and bioelectronic devices for biosensing, biosignal recording, stimulation, and neuromorphic applications.

Trained as a polymer scientist and engineer, Inal earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Physics from the University of Potsdam, Germany, and completed postdoctoral research in microelectronics for bioelectronic applications in France. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has received several international honors, including the 2026 Humboldt Professorship, for which she was nominated by TU Dresden and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, the ACS Kavli Lectureship Award, the Beilby Medal and Prize, and the Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship. She has authored more than 150 publications, which have received approximately 20,000 citations.