Jelena Notaros

Jelena Notaros is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT, Principal Investigator at the MIT Research Laboratory of Electronics, and Core Faculty Member of the Microsystems Technology Laboratories. Her research focuses on integrated silicon photonics, optical phased arrays, and their applications in LiDAR, augmented reality, biophotonics, and quantum systems. She holds a Ph.D. (2020) and M.S. (2017) from MIT, and a B.S. (2015) from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Her work bridges photonics with microsystems, emphasizing practical applications like chip-based 3D printing, optical trapping of microparticles, and cryogenic operation of photonic modulators. Key projects include mechanically-flexible wafer-scale fabrication platforms and polarization-gradient cooling of trapped ions.

Notaros has received prestigious awards including the MIT Presidential Fellowship, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and OSA CLEO Chair’s Pick Award. She is actively involved in education through hands-on photonic kits and has presented at major conferences like SPIE Photonics West and OSA CLEO.

Her lab collaborates on technologies such as integrated visible-light modulators, underwater optical communication systems, and monolithically integrated erbium lasers. Current research trends include advancing phased arrays for LiDAR precision and AR display resolution.