06/24/2026
Professor Karthik Shekhar's research explores a fascinating question: How does biological electricity work in the body at the microscopic scale?
Electrical signals propagate within and between neurons to trigger sensations that underpin our behavior and thoughts. "We know something about what elements give rise to it," says Shekhar about bioelectricity, "but we don't fully understand the mechanism of how you go from those microscopic elements to the full macroscopic response."
The chemical engineer and neuroscientist recently received the Philomathia Prize to advance this groundbreaking research into the bioelectric basis of neural activity—a project that emerged through conversations with his departmental colleague and co-investigator, Associate Professor Kranthi Mandadapu.
"I could not have imagined any other place than Berkeley to do this research," Shekhar said. "As long as you are working on something intellectually interesting, as long as you're doing technically rigorous work, you are given the freedom to pursue it."
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