Vlahovska Receives NSF TRAILBLAZER Award

Northwestern Engineering’s Petia Vlahovska has earned a Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award (TRAILBLAZER) from the US National Science Foundation (NSF).

Vlahovska, a professor of engineering sciences and applied mathematics at the McCormick School of Engineering, received $3,000,000 from the NSF Office of Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities for her proposal “Non-electrical Mechanisms of Neuronal Excitation – A New Direction for Brain-computer Interfaces and Neuroengineering.”

Vlahovska is one of six engineers to earn the award this year.

“I am excited for the opportunity to pivot into the field of neuroengineering. Neuroprostheses, which enable communication between electronic devices and neural tissue, hold great promise for treating nervous system injuries and diseases. Yet, current designs that rely on electrical stimulation face significant challenges, including limited precision and poor biocompatibility,” Vlahovska said. “To address these limitations, we will explore and investigate novel and unconventional approaches to nerve signal excitation and propagation.”

This project aims to revolutionize brain-machine interfaces, neuro-prostheses, and neuromorphic engineering by exploring the possibility that neuronal signals are not purely electrical but also mechanical. By creating biocompatible, synthetic neurons that transmit signals via mechanical waves instead of electrical currents, the research could lead to safer, more effective treatments for neurological disorders and inspire new soft, organic computing systems. Students will gain interdisciplinary training in physics, engineering, and neuroscience, and the project will also develop K–12 educational materials for the Chicago School District.

This research will investigate mechanical excitability in neurons by developing synthetic membrane systems that reproduce the pulse-like dynamics of action potentials (“spikes”) without relying on electrical currents. By combining theoretical modeling with experiments on biomimetic membranes, and drawing on concepts from fluid mechanics, soft matter physics, biophysics, and neurophysiology, the project seeks to uncover membrane-associated mechanical “spiking” and lay the groundwork for organic neuromorphic components. These insights could transform the understanding of neuronal signaling and enable new neuroprosthetic technologies and soft-matter-based computing systems.

The TRAILBLAZER program supports individual investigators who propose novel research projects with the potential to innovatively and creatively address national needs and/or grand challenges, advance US leadership, and catalyze the convergence of engineering and science domains. TRAILBLAZER will support engineers and scientists who leverage their distinctive track record of innovation and creativity to pursue new research directions that are distinct from their previous or current research areas.