Shawana Tabassum

Dr. Shawana Tabassum is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at The University of Texas at Tyler. She holds a Ph.D. and B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Iowa State University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, respectively, with postdoctoral training at Iowa State University. Her research focuses on micro/nano-optics, biosensors, MEMS/NEMS, and their applications in plant sciences, sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and environmental monitoring. She has developed wearable sensors for plants, flexible sensors for aquatic environments, and IoT-enabled systems for precision agriculture. Dr. Tabassum has received multiple awards, including the Rising STARs Award from the University of Texas System and Young Investigator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Her research interests include:

• Micro/nano-optics and electronics
• Microfluidic devices
• Point-of-care and wearable biosensors
• Plant and soil sensors
• Environment monitoring systems

Dr. Tabassum's work emphasizes interdisciplinary innovation, blending electrical engineering with agricultural and biomedical sciences. She has pioneered sensor technologies for in-situ plant health monitoring, nitrate detection in water, and real-time physiological biomarker analysis. Her recent projects include SMART-PH systems for space agriculture and AQUA-FINS underwater sensors. She has secured grants from the NSF and industry partnerships, and her research has been recognized through multiple entrepreneurship awards.

Awards include:

• Rising STARs Award (2020)
• Young Investigator Award (2020)
• Best Global Impact Innovation Prize (2019)
• Research Excellence Award (2018)

Her contributions span sensor design, material science, and data analytics. Current projects involve smart tattoo patches for plant stress monitoring and hybrid sensor platforms for simultaneous chemical and physical measurements in extreme environments.