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Sahika Inal

Sahika Inal is a world leader in organic bioelectronics. With her support, Dresden University of Technology and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden are seeking global visibility in the field of the next generation of bioelectronic systems and intelligent health technologies.

  • Nominating University: Dresden University of Technology in conjunction with the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden
Porträt von Sahika Inal
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Bioengineering

Sahika Inal works at the intersection of materials science, biology and electronics. Her aim is to make functional polymer materials even more efficient and combine them with biological systems. In her research she concentrates on materials that respond to biochemical, electrical and optical signals from which polymer-based devices for the health sector can be manufactured. Amongst others, Inal developed organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) – highly-sensitive biosensors that are now an enabling technology in biomedical engineering and diagnostics. They function in direct contact with bodily fluids and can detect signals from cellular processes or metabolic reactions.
Inal’s research should facilitate path-breaking progress, such as synthetic synapses for seamless integration into prostheses or the continued development of highly-sensitive biosensors that can detect extremely low concentrations of disease biomarkers.

By appointing her to a Humboldt Professorship, the Dresden research centre wants to introduce new knowledge into Germany to develop bioelectronic devices and close the existing gap between molecular material design, device technology and biomedical implementation in bioelectronics.

Brief bio

Sahika Inal has been an associate professor of bioengineering at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia since 2021. She initially studied textile engineering at Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, and subsequently did a Master’s in polymer science in Berlin and Potsdam. In 2014, she completed a doctorate in experimental physics at the University of Potsdam, then transferred to a postdoc position at the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France. She became an assistant professor at KAUST in 2016. In 2022, she was awarded the Beilby Medal and Prize and was invited to the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) PMSE Young Investigator Symposium. In 2025, ACS selected her to hold a Kavli Lecture, an honour bestowed on outstanding young chemists.

Sahika Inal has been selected for a Humboldt Professorship and is currently conducting appointment negotiations with the German university that nominated her for the award. If the negotiations are successful, the award will be granted in 2026.