Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Candidate Hannaneh Hojaiji Aims to Translate Research to Biotech and Biomedical Applications
Courtesy of Hannaneh Hojaiji
Since she was in middle school, Hannaneh Hojaiji had her sights set on UCLA.
“I had this little UCLA sweater that I always wore, and my aunt who worked at JPL constantly told me about what an amazing place UCLA was. I did my research and learned that there were so many people at UCLA working on the research topics I was excited about, so I knew it was for me.”
Born in Tehran, Hannaneh came to the United States at age 18. She knew she excelled in a hands-on learning environment, and thought mechanical engineering, specifically related to cars and jets, would shape her ideal career path. However, when she reached high school and saw how advances in technology led to a shift in focus toward the electrical aspects of some of those very areas she was interested in, she realized she was eager to learn everything about circuitry and pursue electrical engineering as her major.
Hannaneh transferred to UCLA Samueli from Santa Monica College in 2016 as an electrical engineering major, and got the hands-on experience she always dreamed of. She worked with Distinguished Professor Majid Sarrafzadeh of computer science and Professor Emeritus William Kaiser of electrical and computer engineering on Internet of Things systems and sensor networks. She used to walk past Professor Sarrafzadeh’s laboratory and dreamed of working with him so, when the opportunity arose, she jumped at it.
“Professor Sarrafzadeh’s lab was researching smart sensors on biomedical applications, mostly focused on children with asthma. Their goal was to track lung capacity using heart rate monitors and connections from smart watches. There, I was able to design my very first sensor.”
This work made a big impact on Hannaneh. Having lost grandparents to cancer and heart attacks, she could see how the research at Professor Sarrafzadeh’s lab was going to make a real difference. This shifted her passions from being more industrial and automobile-focused to biological applications. She began researching professors who were doing work that combined the electrical aspects she loved with chemical engineering.
“It was the combination I needed: the vision of the industry and the research. And for me, being hands-on was always the goal, so UCLA was where I wanted to go”
Little did she know, Associate Professor Sam Emaminejad of electrical and computer engineering, who had been doing groundbreaking work in sensors at UC Berkeley and Stanford, was coming to UCLA to do just that. After getting her B.S. in electrical and electronics engineering and before she began her master’s in electrical and computer engineering, she spent a summer interning in Emaminejad’s lab and he soon recommended that she continue with him as a direct Ph.D. student, which is where she spent the last six years for her MS/PhD program.
During her time at UCLA Samueli, Hannaneh has encouraged as many women as she can to pursue electrical engineering, especially since it felt like there were so few women in her upper-division courses when she first came to UCLA. Last year she was able to work with UCLA Samueli’s Women in Engineering program (WE@UCLA) and saw how much positive progress has been made.
“It is so great to see UCLA Samueli really include all of us [women] and support us with different programs and initiatives,” Hannaneh said. “I feel like I have so many more connections now, even in the industry, and it starts with efforts from the Dean and goes all the way down.”
Hannaneh plans to graduate with her Ph.D. in the spring of 2025 and has a number of goals for her future.
“I want to be a professor, but I also want to be focused on research and development, as well as regulation. Now I’m looking toward working in national labs. With their vision and the funding that they have, I really want to be part of that.”
Throughout her time here, Hannaneh has been able to connect with professors and professionals in so many different departments and, for that, she feels UCLA Samueli is the best program a student could choose. The network this program has been able to offer her has helped and challenged her, and made her the scientist she is today.
“It’s not just about research, it’s about how it can get translated at the end of the day. Industry, research, life, whatever you want, it’s all provided here.”