A 1999 earthquake in Izmit forced a young student to relocate and eventually shaped a career dedicated to monitoring fragile human health. Canan Dağdeviren, born in Istanbul in 1985, transitioned from an inquisitive child fascinated by piezoelectric sparks to an academic engineer developing flexible, conformable electronic systems that integrate directly with biological tissues.
Academic Foundation
Dağdeviren completed her undergraduate physics engineering studies at Hacettepe University in 2007. She continued her education at Sabancı University before moving to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship. Her doctoral work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign focused on materials science, culminating in a 2014 thesis regarding flexible mechanical energy harvesters and epidermal sensors.
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Following her doctoral studies, Dağdeviren became the first Turkish scientist appointed as a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows. She also conducted research at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. In 2017, she joined the faculty at MIT, where she currently directs the Conformable Decoders research group at the Media Lab.
The YellowBox Laboratory
In 2017, Dağdeviren designed and built the YellowBox cleanroom. The facility prioritizes physical transparency to facilitate observation and learning. By implementing the 5S Methodology—Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain—the lab achieved a Green Labs certification from Environmental Health & Safety, marking the first such designation at the MIT Media Lab.
Conformable Biomedical Systems
Her research group investigates the intersection of engineering and biology to create electromechanical systems that sense, actuate, and harvest energy. One significant project includes piezoelectric patches that convert mechanical energy from internal organ movements into electricity to power medical devices. This technology aims to reduce the necessity for repeated surgeries related to battery replacement in implanted electronics.
Fast facts
- Born: 1985, Istanbul, Turkey
- Undergraduate Degree: Hacettepe University
- Master's Degree: Sabancı University
- PhD Advisor: John A. Rogers
- Current Employer: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Award: BBC 100 Women (2023)
- Languages: Turkish, English
Questions readers ask
What is the focus of the Conformable Decoders group?
The group works on creating mechanically adaptive systems that integrate with the body to decode physical patterns into signals or energy.
Why did she design the YellowBox laboratory?
She intended to create a transparent workspace where individuals could observe and learn without needing special permissions.
Achievements
- Held posts at Hacettepe University, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Educated at Hacettepe University, Sabancı University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
