Prof. Sohini Kar-Narayan, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, University of Cambridge

Functional polymers for energy, sensing and biomedical applications
Our research involves understanding structure-property and functionality relationships in novel polymer-based piezoelectric and triboelectric nanostructures, with a focus on the role of phase, crystallinity and morphology on their functionality. To probe these properties at the nanoscale, we employ advanced scanning probe microscopy techniques, enabling high-resolution insights into local electromechanical responses and surface characteristics. These nanomaterials can also be integrated into sensors and energy harvesters using advanced microscale additive manufacturing techniques to create a range of functional devices, including those aimed at biomedical or clinical applications. For example, a combination of aerosol-jet printing and 3d printing can be used to fabricate “soft” functional interfaces based on piezoelectric polymer nanostructures for sensing and stimulation of cells, and also to enhance and control piezoelectricity in printed structures based on collagen for possible applications in tissue engineering.

Prof. Zhipei Sun, Aalto University, Finland 

Intelligent Light Sensing with 2D Materials
Intelligent light sensing is vital for applications ranging from spectroscopy and imaging to communications and environmental monitoring. 2D materials offer a powerful platform for such technologies due to their atomic-scale thickness, strong light–matter interactions, and electrical tunability. I will present recent advances on computational spectrometers based on 2D materials, which reconstruct incident spectra via engineered device responses and algorithms. These devices achieve spectral resolution below 3 nm, broadband operation from ~500 to 1600 nm, and proof-of-concept demonstrations of spectral imaging. This approach shows how 2D materials can enable ultracompact, adaptive, and cost-effective sensors that merge optical hardware with computational methods