Fatima Alrashdan
Rice University Postdoctoral Fellow
fta1@rice.edu
Bio
Fatima Alrashdan is a postdoctoral research associate in the Robinson Lab at Rice University and a senior engineer at Motif Neurotech. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rice University in 2024, where she worked with Prof. Jacob T. Robinson. Her research advances wireless power and communication systems for implantable bioelectronics, with the goal of creating reliable and scalable technologies for clinical translation. During her Ph.D., she demonstrated the first magnetoelectric backscatter communication system for data transmission in deep implants and developed magnetoelectric networks for cardiac pacing and neural stimulation in preclinical models. She previously received her bachelors and masters degrees in electrical engineering from Jordan University of Science and Technology. Fatima has received several honors, including the Lodieska Stockbridge Vaughn Fellowship and the MobiCom 2022 Best Paper Award.
Areas of Research
- Bioelectrical Engineering
Miniaturized Bioelectronic Networks for Personalized Therapy and Diagnosis
Bioelectronics could revolutionize how we treat and diagnose a myriad of chronic conditions, achieving a level of precision and personalization beyond the reach of traditional pharmaceuticals. Yet, technologies in clinical use today, such as cardiac pacemakers and deep brain stimulators, still rely on core technology developed decades ago: a battery-powered pulse generator wired via long leads to the stimulation site. This architecture limits device miniaturization, making it more invasive and constraining multi-site interventions and adaptive therapies necessary for emerging clinical needs.
My research aims to develop next-generation battery-free bioelectronics platforms that support scalable distributed networks of adaptive implants, enabling personalized therapies and accelerating clinical translation. Toward this vision, my doctoral work focused on developing wireless power and data communication solutions for implantable bioelectronics, leveraging magnetoelectric materials (ME). We designed battery-free, mm-scale devices capable of harvesting sufficient power levels for neuromodulation applications, including peripheral nerve stimulation and epidural cortical stimulation in a porcine model. Unlike conventional wireless power transfer systems, which lose efficiency with additional devices, our ME-based approach showed that a single external transmitter can power more than 20 ME devices, with efficiency scaling linearly as the number of devices increases. We validated this approach in large-animal studies, demonstrating precise, multi-site interventions: programmable spinal cord stimulators for motor restoration and cardiac pacemakers network for resynchronization therapy.
To support adaptive, closed-loop systems, we introduced the first passive backscatter ME data communication system, enabling reliable, ultra-low-power communication for deep implants. In collaboration with the Texas Heart Institute, we demonstrated this system in vivo by recording real-time intracardiac electrogram activities from ME sensing nodes placed on the surface of a beating porcine heart. Building on this foundation, I am developing a bioelectronic network that integrates cardiac pacing and sensing, enabling adaptive therapy for cardiac conduction disorders.