Faculty at School of Engineering

Debarun Sengupta

Debarun Sengupta

Assistant Professor


Contact Information

Currently, I am working as an Assistant Professor and Head of the Flexible Bioelectronics and Wearables Lab in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi NCR. I also serve as the Coordinator of the Device & Materials Research Group within the Department, where I contribute to shaping research direction and infrastructure development. I am actively working on establishing a research track in bio-inspired wearables and Organ-on-Chips. My goal is to converge the principles of microsystems fabrication with next-generation additive manufacturing techniques to develop advanced organ-on-chip systems and wearable electronics for inexpensive and accessible healthcare.

In addition to my academic responsibilities, I serve as a Principal Member of LITD 33 at the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and as a Member of a MeitY Expert Committee, contributing to national-level initiatives in emerging electronics and digital health technologies. I also jointly hold a position as a Visiting Research Fellow with the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Before joining as a tenure-track faculty member, I was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) under the Netherlands Organ-on-Chip Initiative (NOCI) (https://noci-organ-on-chip.nl/), an NWO Gravitation programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, where I developed polymer MEMS-based 3D microelectrode arrays for in vitro electrophysiological studies of electrogenic cell cultures. Prior to that, I served as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, contributing to the Dutch Research Council (NWO) funded “SMART-AGENTS” project (https://www.nwo.nl/projecten/18024). I hold a PhD in MEMS/NEMS from the University of Groningen and an MEngSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Key highlights:

  • Assistant Professor and Head of Flexible Bioelectronics and Wearables Lab, at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR, which is one of the 12 coveted Institutions of Eminence designated by the Government of India.
  • Appointed as a Project Review and Steering Group member and expert for two MeitY hub projects.
  • Appointed as a Principal Member of the Wearable Electronic Devices and Technologies Sectional Committee, LITD 33, by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. The Committee will also serve as the National Mirror Committee of IEC/TC 124, Wearable Electronic Devices and Technologies.
  • Ex-member of multiple consortia projects in the EU, including NWO SMART Agents, NWO Day Time, and the Netherlands Organ on Chip Initiative (NOCI).
  • Recipient of the prestigious DST INSPIRE Faculty Award 2023, India.
  • Visiting Researcher and lecturer with the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
  • Published more than 30 papers, including lead-authored papers (first author) in top journals such as npj Flexible Electronics (IF – 15.5), Carbon Energy (IF – 24.5), ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (IF – 9.5), Wiley Advanced Electronic Materials (IF - 6.2), ACS Applied Electronic Materials (IF –4.7), etc. In addition, published 1 book, two book chapters, and one patent.
  • Citation: 698, h-index: 12, (as per Google Scholar).
  • Scival Country rank (The Netherlands) - 2 for the topic Strain Sensor; Flexible Electronics; Sensor(T.4469) and European regional rank - 32 (Period - 2020 -2023).
  • Co-editor of 1 book and filed 1 patent.
  • Was nominated for the FSE Postdoc Prize 2023 by the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen. I was among the top six finalists for the prize.
  • Organiser and Convenor of the 1st International Conference on Wearables and Emerging Bioelectronics 2025, India.
  • Organising committee member and arrangements Chair for the IEEE MARSS 2024 conference.
  • Associate editor of: Next-Generation Wearables and Emerging Bioelectronics, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering.
  • Special issue editor for Crystals and peer-reviewer for several reputed journals, including Wiley Advanced Functional Materials, npjFlexible Electronics, IEEE Sensors Journal, Journal of Bionic Engineering, Journal of Materials Science, and Materials Today Energy.
  • Went through a start-up accelerator program and spun off a company - Australia Nano Pty. Ltd. in Sydney, Australia.

Further details about my work can be accessed at the following web links:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Groningen

05/2018 –04/2022

Thesis title - "Interfacing biomimetics and nanomaterials for next-generation wearables"

Master of Engineering Science (MEngSc), University of New South Wales, Australia

07/2015 – 07/2017

Specialization - Electrical Engineering (Microsystems)

Master of Engineering (MEng - Exchange), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

12/2016 – 02/2017

Summer exchange - Non-graduating Research student in Microsystems Engineering 

Bachelor of Technology (BTech), Siksha 'O' Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, India

08/2010 – 07/2014

Specialization - Electronics and Communication Engineering

  • Assistant Professor, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence
    • 9 September 2024 – Present
  • Guest Researcher, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
    • 1 January 2024 - Present
  • Postdoctoral Scientist, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
    • 1 January 2024 – 31 August 2024
  • Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
    • 1 May 2022 – 31 December 2023
  • MEMS research Engineer, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • November 2017 – April 2018
  • Co-Founder, Australia Nano Pty. Ltd.
    • July 2017 – November 2017
  • MEMS Fabrication Engineer/Consultant, Brien Holden Vision Institute, Australia
    • July 2017 – August 2017
  • MEMS Research Intern, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, Singapore
    • December 2016 – February 2017
  • Student Assistant, CHeBA, University of New South Wales, Australia
    • September 2016 – November 2016

MEMS/NEMS, Organ-on-chips, Brain-on-chips, Flexible electronics, bioinspired sensing

  1. Best poster award: Awarded with the best PhD student poster award at ENTEG Annual Day 2022.
  2. Best Student Paper award, IEEE FLEPS Conference 2021.
  3. Best PhD presentation: Awarded with the best PhD presentation award at ENTEG Annual Day 2021.
  4. U4 Network travel grant: Grant for visiting Ångström Laboratory, Uppsala University, Sweden for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).
  5. PhD research funding: Funding for four years of PhD research at the University of Groningen.
  6. Nomination for FSE Best Postdoc Award 2023: Was nominated for the FSE Postdoc Prize 2023 by the Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen. This prize is a recognition awarded to an outstanding postdoctoral researcher of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen. I was among the top six finalists for the prize and the only candidate from my institute.
  7. DST INSPIRE Faculty Award 2023: Recipient of the prestigious DST INSPIRE faculty award to start an independent tenure-track faculty position in India. I was awarded under the Engineering Science stream. Under the INSPIRE Faculty Scheme, the Department of Science and Technology, India, offers assured opportunities every year for post-doctoral researchers in the age group of 27-32 years, through contractual and tenure track positions for 5 years in both basic and applied sciences. 
  8. Australian Patent: Chee Yee Kwok, Ssu-Han Chen, Aron Michael, Debarun Sengupta. “Advanced piezoelectric microlens actuator.” AU Patent app. 2018903188 (Latest file number: 2023903846)
  9. Hong Kong UGC PhD Fellowship 2018: Fully funded PhD fellowship for PhD at City University of Hong Kong. Declined the offer.
  10. NTHU International Student Scholarship 2018: Fully funded PhD fellowship for PhD at NTHU, Taiwan. Declined the offer.

 

DST INSPIRE Faculty Award 2023 under engineering science stream

  • 09/2019 – present: American Chemical Society (ACS), Member (ID- 32041645)
  • 09/2017 – present: IEEE Sensors Council, Member
  • 11/2014 – present: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Member (ID- 92751754).

  1. Onorati, C. R., Sengupta, D., Gomes, N. M., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2025). On-Foot Gait Lab: A Hybrid Wearable Sensor Platform for Spatiotemporal Gait Analysis Using Electrospun Piezocapacitive Insoles and IMUs. ACS Applied Engineering Materials.
    Contribution: Conceptualization, supervision, NF synthesis, sensor fabrication, data collection, analysis, and draft review.
  2. Sengupta, Debarun*, and Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli. "Highly aligned P (VDF-TrFE) nanofibers for tactile and flow-sensing applications." IEEE Sensors Letters (2025).
    Contribution: Conceptualization, NF synthesis, sensor fabrication, data collection, analysis, and original draft preparation.
  3. Sengupta, Debarun, and Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli. "Nanomaterials‐Based Bioinspired Next Generation Wearable Sensors: A State‐of‐the‐Art Review." Advanced Electronic Materials 10, no. 1 (2024): 2300436. Contribution: Literature survey and original draft preparation.
  4. Xiang, Y., Lu, L., Yan, F., Sengupta, D., Rudolf, P., Kottapalli, A. G. P., & Pei, Y. (2024). Tuning the crystallinity of titanium nitride on copper‐embedded carbon nanofiber interlayers for accelerated electrochemical kinetics in lithium–sulfur batteries. Carbon Energy, e450. Contribution: Electrospinning and CNF synthesis along with Xiang, Y.
  5. Sengupta, D., Lu, L., Gomes, D. R., Jayawardhana, B., Pei, Y., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2023). Fabric-like Electrospun PVAc–Graphene Nanofiber Webs as Wearable and Degradable Piezocapacitive Sensors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15(18), 22351–22366. Contribution: Conceptualization, methodology, data collection and analysis, writing—original draft preparation.
  6. Sengupta, D., Kamat, A. M., Smit, Q., Jayawardhana, B., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2022). Piezoresistive 3D graphene–PDMS spongy pressure sensors for IoT enabled wearables and smart products. Flexible and Printed Electronics, 7(1), 015004. Contribution: Conceptualization, methodology, data collection and analysis, writing—original draft preparation.
  7. Sengupta, D., Mastella, M., Chicca, E., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2022). Skin-inspired flexible and stretchable electrospun carbon nanofiber sensors for neuromorphic sensing. ACS Applied Electronic Materials, 4(1), 308–315. Contribution: Electrospinning, CNF synthesis, sensor fabrication, experiments, and manuscript writing.
  8. Sengupta, D., Romano, J., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2021). Electrospun bundled carbon nanofibers for skin-inspired tactile sensing, proprioception and gesture tracking applications. npj Flexible Electronics, 5(1), 29. Contribution: Conceptualization, CNF synthesis, fabrication, data collection, analysis, and draft preparation.
  9. Sengupta, D., Chen, S. H., Michael, A., Kwok, C. Y., Lim, S., Pei, Y., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2020). Single and bundled carbon nanofibers as ultralightweight and flexible piezoresistive sensors. npj Flexible Electronics, 4(1), 9. Contribution: CNF synthesis, spectroscopy, fabrication, data collection, analysis, and writing.
  10. Sengupta, D., Trap, D., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2020). Piezoresistive carbon nanofiber-based cilia-inspired flow sensor. Nanomaterials, 10(2), 211. Contribution: Conceptualization, methodology, data collection, analysis, and writing.
  11. Sengupta, D., Pei, Y., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2019). Ultralightweight and 3D squeezable graphene–PDMS composite foams as piezoresistive sensors. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 11(38), 35201–35211. Contribution: Device fabrication, data collection, analysis, and writing.
  12. Sengupta, D., Kottapalli, A. G. P., Chen, S. H., Miao, J. M., Kwok, C. Y., Triantafyllou, M. S., et al. (2017). Characterization of single polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber for flow sensing applications. AIP Advances, 7(10). Contribution: Electrospinning, optimization, spectroscopy, fabrication, data analysis, and writing.
  13. Sengupta, D., Sarro, P. M., & Mastrangeli, M. A sneak peek inside the brain: Interfacing 3D microelectrode arrays with Brain-on-chip technology for next-generation healthcare. In Preparation. Contribution: Literature survey and original draft preparation.
  14. Sengupta, D., Tawade, P., Ayodogmus, H., Sarro, P. M., & Mastrangeli, M. Soft and transparent 3D microelectrode arrays for in vitro electrophysiological recording. In Preparation. Contribution: Conceptualization, process flow development, and device fabrication.
  15. Sengupta, D., Pei, Y. T., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. Anatomy of hearing and its relevance to biomimetic sensor design. In Preparation. Contribution: Literature survey and original draft preparation.
  16. Guzman-Embus, D. A., Sengupta, D., et al. Piezocapacitive sensors based on TPU and silver nanorods for pressure detection with application in shape detection. In Preparation. Contribution: Conceptualization, electrospinning, fabrication, and data acquisition.
  17. Sengupta, D., Birudula, S. K., Marcantoni, M., Jayawardhana, B., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. Titanium carbide nanoparticle dispersion-based inkjet-printed flexible bidirectional flow sensors for wind direction-based autonomous ground navigation. In Preparation. Contribution: Fabrication, data collection, modelling, DAQ setup, robotics interface, and writing.

  1. Dhairya Naryan, Richa Tyagi, Rohit Goyal, Atul Vir Singh, & Debarun Sengupta*. “3D-Printed CNT-coated Microstructured Lattices for Soft Piezocapacitive Sensors” IEEE ICEE 2025 (in press).
  2. Sengupta, Debarun, et al. "Fabrication of Soft and Transparent 3D Microelectrode Arrays for in Vitro Electrophysiological Recording." 2025 23rd International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (Transducers). IEEE, 2025. 
  3. Sengupta, D., Birudula, S., Wortche, H. J., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2022, October). An Inkjet-Printed Piezoresistive Bidirectional Flow Sensor. In 2022 IEEE Sensors (pp. 1-4). IEEE. Dallas, Texas, USA, 2022.
  4. Sengupta, D., Lu, L., Pei, Y., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2022, January). Fabric-Like Pvac-Graphene Nanofiber Capacitive Pressure Sensors For Next-Generation Wearables. In 2022 IEEE 35th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Conference (MEMS) (pp. 341-344). IEEE. Tokyo, Japan, 2022.
  5. Li, W., Sengupta, D., Pei, Y., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2021, June). Wearable nanofiber-based triboelectric nanogenerator for body motion energy harvesting. In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Flexible and Printable Sensors and Systems (FLEPS) (pp. 1-4). IEEE. Virtual.
  6. Saha, U., Kamat, A., Sengupta, D., Jayawardhana, B., & Kottapalli, A. G. (2020, October). A low-cost lung monitoring point-of-care device based on a flexible piezoresistive flow sensor. In 2020 IEEE SENSORS (pp. 1-4). IEEE. Virtual.
  7. Sengupta, D., Muthuram, V., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2020, October). Flexible Graphene-on-PDMS sensor for human motion monitoring applications. In 2020 IEEE SENSORS (pp. 1-4). IEEE. Virtual.
  8. Sengupta, D., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2020, September). Ultralight weight piezoresistive spongy graphene sensors for human gait monitoring applications. In 2020 IEEE 15th International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular System (NEMS) (pp. 120-123). IEEE. Virtual.
  9. Kottapalli, A. G. P., Bora, M., Sengupta, D., Miao, J., & Triantafyllou, M. S. (2018, October). Hydrogel-CNT biomimetic cilia for flow sensing. In 2018 IEEE SENSORS (pp. 1-4). IEEE. Delhi, India, 2018.
  10. Sengupta, D., Michael, A., Kwok, C. Y., Miao, J., & Kottapalli, A. G. P. (2018, November). Optimized polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber webs for flexible energy harvesters. In Proceedings (Vol. 2, No. 13, p. 857). MDPI. Graz, Austria, 2018.
  11. Kottapalli, A. G. P., Sengupta, D., Kanhere, E., Bora, M., Miao, J., & Triantafyllou, M. (2018, November). MEMS Biomimetic Superficial and Canal Neuromasts for Flow Sensing. In Proceedings (Vol. 2, No. 13). MDPI.
  12. Sengupta, Debarun, et al. "Optimized polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber webs for flexible energy harvesters." Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Proceedings. Vol. 2. No. 13. 2018. Graz, Austria, 2018.
  13. Sengupta, D., Kottapalli, A. G. P., Chen, S. H., Michael, A., Kwok, C. Y., Miao, J., & Triantafyllou, M. S. (2018, April). Flexible Graphitized Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Bundles for Strain Sensors. In 2018 IEEE 13th Annual International Conference on Nano/Micro Engineered and Molecular Systems (NEMS) (pp. 615-618). IEEE. Singapore, 2018.
  14. Sengupta, D., Kottapalli, A. G. P., Miao, J., & Kwok, C. Y. (2017, October). Electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber mats for self-powered sensors. In 2017 IEEE SENSORS (pp. 1-3). IEEE. Glasgow, UK, 2017.

  1. Sengupta, Debarun, and Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli. "Flexible and wearable piezoelectric nanogenerators." Self-Powered and Soft Polymer MEMS/NEMS Devices (2019): 31-60.
  2. Sengupta, Debarun, Ssu-Han Chen, and Ajay Giri Prakash Kottapalli. "Nature-Inspired Self-Powered Sensors and Energy Harvesters." Self-Powered and Soft Polymer MEMS/NEMS Devices (2019): 61-81.
  3. Kottapalli, A. G. P., Tao, K., Sengupta, D., & Triantafyllou, M. S. (2019). Self-Powered and Soft Polymer MEMS/NEMS Devices. Springer.

  • Eurosensors 2018, Graz, Austria: Presented research on “Optimized polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber webs for flexible energy harvesters”. 
  • IEEE Sensors 2018, Delhi, India: Talk on “Hydrogel-CNT biomimetic cilia for flow sensing”. 
  • MNE conference 2023, Berlin, Germany: Presented research on “Degradable PVAc-graphene nanofibrous membrane for flexible piezocapacitive sensors”.
  • TU Delft, 2023, The Netherlands: Delivered a seminar on “Synthetic Senses: Revolutionizing Health Monitoring with Soft Sensors and Polymer MEMS”.
  • IIT Kanpur, 2024, India: Delivered a seminar on “Synthetic senses: Revolutionizing Health Care with Soft Sensors and Organs-on-chips”.
  • International Conference on Wearables and Emerging Bioelectronics, 2025, Delhi-NCR, India: Delivered a talk on “Leveraging MEMS and biomimetics for next-generation wearables and Organs-on-chips”
  • Invited Panellist: Early careers in Printed and Flexible Electronics, IEEE FLEPS 2025, Singapore.
  • IIT Kharagapur, 2025, India: Delivered an invited talk on “Leveraging MEMS and biomimetics for next-generation wearables and Organs-on-chips”

  1. Principal Member- Wearable Electronic Devices and Technologies Sectional Committee, LITD 33, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India. (January 2026 – Present)
  2. Member- National Mirror Committee of IEC/TC 12. January 2026 – Present)
  3. Member- PRSG, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), India (October 2025 – Present)

  1. DST INSPIRE Faculty award 2023: Amount of 35,00,000 INR for developing lattice based piezo-capacitive sensors for wearables.
  1. Developing smart sensors, Seismorespirators and SMART ICU Beds. Koita Centre for Digital Health at Ashoka University, INR 34 Lakhs, 2025-2027 (Ongoing).

  • Guest editor of a special issue Crystals, MDPI, Associate Editor
  • Associate editor of: Next-Generation Wearables and Emerging Bioelectronics, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering.

  • Organizing Committee Member, IEEE MARSS 2024 conference
  • Peer-reviewer for several reputed scientific journals including npj Flexible Electronics, IEEE Sensors Journal, Sensor, Journal of Bionic Engineering, Journal of Material Science, and Materials Today Energy.
  • Special issue editor for Crystals Journal, MDPI
  • Associate editor of: Next-Generation Wearables and Emerging Bioelectronics, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering.

  • Research exchange program at NTU Singapore: December 2016 - February 2017.
  • Summer School at Uppsala University, Sweden: Visiting Ångström Laboratory for two consecutive years 2018 and 2019 lasting one week each. 
  • Utrecht Summer School: Attended a course of Biomaterials and additive manufacturing lasting one week at Utrecht University. July 2019. 

  • Workshop on Neuromorphic devices: Hosted Prof. Suraj P Khanna, PhD and Dr. Satish Singh from the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) for a workshop on "Electroconductive Textiles: Emerging Materials for Large-Area and Wearable Devices". This was arranged under the recent MoU signed between CSIR-National Physical Laboratory and Shiv Nadar University.