Professor Sohini Kar-Narayan

Winner: 2023 Materials Chemistry mid-career Prize: Peter Day Prize

University of Cambridge

For advancing research in functional polymers and nanocomposites, and their application in energy, sensing and biomedicine using microscale additive manufacturing.

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My late father was diabetic and suffered from heart disease, and this played a role in my desire to improve patient care ...

Professor Kar-Narayan’s research group are developing new materials and technologies that will have a broad impact on how healthcare is administered around the world. They have developed novel polymeric materials that can convert ambient vibrations and waste heat in the environment into electrical energy to power autonomous, wearable health monitoring devices. Sohini has worked closely with clinicians and surgeons to offer sensor-based solutions that can significantly improve patient outcomes. Her group have also been developing novel point-of-care microfluidic devices to speed up diagnostics and drug screening.

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Sohini Kar-Narayan is Professor of Device & Energy Materials in the Department of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge. She leads an interdisciplinary research group working on functional nanomaterials and devices for energy, sensing and biomedical applications. In 2009, she received her PhD in Physics from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. In 2012, she was awarded a prestigious Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship.

Professor Kar-Narayan was recognised as one of the ‘Top 50 Women in Engineering of 2021’ by the Women's Engineering Society, and was elected Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IoM3) in 2022. She is a recipient of the World Economic Forum Young Scientist Award and a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (2015). In 2023, Sohini was awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant. In 2022, she received the Cambridge University Student-led Teaching award for "Innovative Teaching". She is also an associate Editor of the journal Applied Materials Today.

Sahini is a co-founder and director of ArtioSense Ltd, a spin-out from the University of Cambridge that seeks to commercialise a microfluidic force sensing technology for applications in orthopaedic surgery. The company was awarded the Armourers & Braisiers’ Venture Prize Award in 2022.

Q&A

What motivates you?

I have always been motivated by the strong desire to solve real-world problems using science and engineering. My late father was diabetic and suffered from heart disease, and this played a role in my desire to improve patient care by developing new materials and technologies for personalised healthcare and remote health monitoring. I continue to be motivated by the huge role scientific research can play in improving clinical outcomes and quality-of-life, and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. I greatly enjoy working closely with clinicians and surgeons to offer sensor-based solutions that can significantly improve patient outcomes.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

It has been an absolute privilege to be able to train and nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers, and to have the opportunity to work with some truly brilliant colleagues and collaborators over the years. My greatest triumphs have arisen not just from the research I do, but from the individuals that I have had the good fortune of working with.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

From being the only woman in my PhD cohort at the Indian Institute of Science, to raising two young children while navigating the challenges of academia, I have overcome many societal and institutional challenges to get to where I am today. I am very proud to be leading a diverse and interdisciplinary research team, and I hope that the next generation will naturally embrace the concept of a diverse and inclusive workforce, and value its importance.

How are the chemical sciences making the world a better place?

The chemical sciences are playing a huge role in tackling some of the biggest challenges faced by the world today: climate change, the energy crisis, food production, disease management, and caring for an ageing population, to name a few. The interaction between the chemical sciences and other fields is driving interdisciplinary innovations with the impact already being felt across various industries, such as pharmaceuticals, renewables and manufacturing.