On October 11, 2023, I photographed Sangeeta N. Bhatia at her offices and lab at MIT, where she has spent her career pioneering innovations at the intersection of engineering, biology, and medicine. A scientist of extraordinary breadth and impact, Bhatia is a rare individual who has been elected to all three National Academies, of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an honor that reflects the transformative nature of her work across multiple disciplines.
Bhatia’s research is deeply rooted in the fusion of microtechnology and medicine. She is best known for her work in developing miniaturized models of human organs, so-called “organs-on-a-chip”, which provide a powerful tool for studying disease, drug interactions, and regenerative medicine. Her lab’s advances in liver tissue engineering have brought us closer to solving one of the most pressing challenges in transplantation: creating functional, lab-grown liver tissues that could one day replace the need for donor organs.
Beyond tissue engineering, her work in nanomedicine has paved the way for groundbreaking approaches to diagnosing and treating cancer. Bhatia and her team have designed nanoscale technologies that can home in on tumors, delivering drugs more precisely and enabling early detection of cancer through biomarkers that can be identified in urine. These innovations have the potential to make cancer treatment more effective and accessible, particularly in low-resource settings where traditional diagnostic tools are scarce.
Her impact extends far beyond the lab. As an educator and mentor, she has championed diversity in STEM, advocating for greater inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities in science and engineering. She is also a prolific entrepreneur, with multiple biotech startups translating her discoveries into real-world medical applications.
Bhatia embodies a rare combination of visionary thinking and practical problem-solving. She moves seamlessly between disciplines, seeing connections where others might see boundaries. Her work is not just about scientific breakthroughs, it is about reimagining what is possible in medicine, engineering, and human health.
