Baibhab Chatterjee, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the agency’s highest honor for early-career faculty.
His funded project, “MED-IoB: Transforming Medical Electronics using Distributed Internet of Bodies (IoB) for Powering, Sensing, Communication and Synchronization,” seeks to revolutionize implantable and wearable medical electronics by enabling seamless data connectivity and power in a network of devices, leveraging the conductive property of the human body.
Chatterjee’s research introduces a paradigm shift in how body-worn and implanted devices are designed, powered, and networked. His work, when successful, will pioneer antenna-free, high-efficiency body-coupled power transfer to resource constrained implants, high-speed (~100 Mbps) tissue-coupled communication, ultra-low power sensing, and synchronization across distributed systems—all with an emphasis on miniaturization, safety, and alignment independence.
“We envision a future where the body itself becomes an efficient conduit for energy and secure data exchange – not only between two devices, but a large number of networked sensors and actuators – which will potentially help in future translation of the technologies. This award allows us to deeply explore how we can harness the body’s natural conductive properties to connect and power networks of implants and wearables with unprecedented efficiency.”
Baibhab Chatterjee, Ph.D.
The project addresses fundamental challenges in channel modeling, low-power circuit design, and efficient signal propagation through the tissue. One key innovation is the alignment of device and body resonances to significantly boost power transfer efficiency (PTE) without the need for traditional antennas or coils. Another is the implementation of custom synchronization and multiple-access architectures to coordinate multiple devices in a placement-agnostic Internet of Bodies (IoB) framework.
On the education front, Dr. Chatterjee is committed to cultivating a robust pipeline of talent in hardware systems. He will collaborate with UF’s Center for Precollegiate Training (CPET) to develop modular hardware kits and teaching materials that will engage K-12 students, as well as teachers, and undergraduates. These efforts aim to address the workforce demands in microelectronics, in line with the goals of nation-wide efforts.
“This project is not just about circuits or devices—it’s about helping people and society,” said Chatterjee. “We’re using cutting-edge research as a vehicle to train the next generation of engineers in hands-on, impactful technologies.”
The $550k NSF CAREER Award will support Chatterjee’s research and educational initiatives over the next five years, providing critical resources to further establish UF as a leader in low-power, secure medical electronics and workforce development.
About Chatterjee
Chatterjee joined UF in 2022 after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University. He leads the WISE Lab (Wireless Intelligent Sensor Electronics Lab), where his team develops secure, energy-efficient systems for biomedical and IoT applications. His past work on IoB has been recognized in a Nature Electronics Editorial, and has been covered in news outlets including TechXplore (Phys.org) and Front Matter (PNAS). He has received multiple best paper and presentation awards for his past work.
About the NSF CAREER Award
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards to early-career faculty who demonstrate the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.