Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Hamed Akbari Receives $200,000 NSF Award for Maternal Health Biosensing Research

Dr. Hamed Akbari, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, has received a $199,998 National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Initiation award for the project “Integrative Biosensing Platforms for Monitoring Maternal Health.” The two-year project will develop a low-cost, integrated biosensing platform that combines paper-based diagnostics, hyperspectral imaging, and artificial intelligence to detect biomarkers associated with pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, peripartum cardiomyopathy, and gestational diabetes. Bioengineering PhD student Narjis Syed, who serves as project personnel on the NSF award, will contribute to the research and development of the platform. The project will also expand hands-on research opportunities for Bioengineering students in biosensing, biomedical engineering, data analysis, and translational research.