ECE Seminar: Rebekah Zhao

ECE Seminar: Rebekah Zhao

Title: Towards Scalable Networks of Wireless Microimplants for Next-Generation Precision Medicine

Abstract: High-resolution and large-scale access to physiological and neural signals is critical for advancing diagnostics, therapies, and neuroscience research. Recent progress in nanofabrication and integrated circuit (IC) technologies has enabled miniaturized implantable sensors that can continuously capture localized biophysical data and deliver targeted interventions. However, realizing systems that are simultaneously miniaturized, multi-modal, and scalable remains a major challenge.

My research aims to address this challenge by developing multifunctional implantable platforms and networks that integrate sensing, imaging, and therapeutic control. These systems combine wireless energy harvesting, on-chip sensing interfaces, bidirectional data communication, and precise implant localization. In this seminar, I will share our recent efforts toward these goals, including: a fully implantable cellular-level image sensor for monitoring cancer treatment; a first-of-its-kind implantable platform that enables simultaneous multi-sensor readout and localization via Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); and a wireless network of miniature silicon implants capable of neural recording and patterned multipoint stimulation.

Bio: Biqi Rebekah Zhao received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, in 2018, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA in 2025. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University. Her research focuses on integrated circuits and systems design for biomedical implants and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Dr. Zhao is the recipient of the Demetri Angelakos Memorial Award from UC Berkeley in 2025, the Apple Ph.D. Fellowship in Integrated Systems in 2024, and selected as the SSCS Rising Star in 2024 and EECS Rising Star in 2025.