Yael Hanein, PhD
I am a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tel Aviv University and Chair of Convergent Engineering, where I lead the Neuroengineering Laboratory. My research is driven by a long-standing interest in understanding how neural and neuromuscular signals can be translated into meaningful interaction with technology. By combining flexible electronics, wearable electrophysiology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, my group develops bioelectronic systems that enable next-generation human–machine interfaces, digital health technologies, and neural prostheses. Our current work spans wearable facial and forearm electromyography, silent speech and gesture recognition, sleep and cognitive monitoring, and retinal neuroprosthetics. Alongside my academic career, I founded X-trodes, where I serve as CTO, and previously served as Vice President for Scientific Affairs at Nano Retina. Throughout my career, I have sought to bridge fundamental engineering with real-world applications, an effort reflected in more than 100 scientific publications and supported by national and international funding, including two European Research Council (ERC) grants.
Beyond my research, I am committed to strengthening the connections between academia, industry, and society. Throughout my career, I have actively promoted interdisciplinary collaborations, technology translation, and entrepreneurship, with the goal of ensuring that scientific discoveries create tangible societal impact. I have contributed to national and international scientific communities through leadership roles in the Israel Young Academy, the Global Young Academy, editorial activities, and numerous international collaborations. At Tel Aviv University, I actively promote partnerships with industry, mentor students and young researchers, and work to create opportunities that bridge fundamental research with innovation and real-world applications.
My Scientific Jurney
My scientific journey began in condensed matter physics, where I studied the electronic properties of low-dimensional systems. During my postdoctoral research at the University of Washington, I became fascinated by the possibility of applying micro- and nano-fabrication technologies to biology, leading me to the emerging field of neuroengineering. Since establishing my laboratory at Tel Aviv University in 2003, my research has progressively evolved from carbon nanotube neural interfaces and retinal prostheses to soft bioelectronics, wearable electrophysiology, and intelligent human–machine interfaces. Throughout this journey, advances in materials science, flexible electronics, and artificial intelligence have continually expanded the questions we can address. Our research today combines these disciplines to develop technologies that sense, decode, and interact with neural and neuromuscular activity in natural environments. From wearable systems for facial expressions, silent speech, and gesture recognition to retinal implants and digital biomarkers, our goal is to translate fundamental engineering innovations into technologies that improve healthcare and enable more natural interaction between humans and intelligent systems.
One constant throughout my career has been the value of multidisciplinary research. Many of our most successful projects have emerged through collaborations that bring together engineers, physicists, neuroscientists, clinicians, and computer scientists. I believe that the future of neuroengineering will continue to be shaped by these intersections, where advances in one discipline create entirely new opportunities in another.
My Research
For more than two decades, our laboratory has explored one fundamental question:
How can we establish seamless communication between the human nervous system and technology?
What began as research in micro- and nano-fabrication, neural interfaces, and retinal prostheses has evolved into a multidisciplinary program that combines bioelectronics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and wearable technology. Throughout this journey, one principle has remained constant: technology should adapt to people—not the other way around. We believe that understanding the language of the nervous system is one of the greatest scientific and engineering challenges of our time. Whether through implantable neural interfaces that restore lost sensory function or soft wearable systems that continuously monitor muscle and brain activity, our goal is to create technologies that reveal human intent and enable natural interaction with intelligent systems.
Today, our laboratory develops wearable electrophysiology platforms capable of recording high-resolution neural and muscular signals during everyday life. These technologies support research in human–machine interaction, facial expression analysis, silent speech, gesture recognition, sleep monitoring, cognitive state assessment, neurorehabilitation, and retinal neuroprosthetics. By integrating advances in materials science, flexible electronics, machine learning, and neuroscience, we strive to translate fundamental discoveries into practical healthcare technologies and next-generation intelligent interfaces. Our success is built on the creativity and dedication of an exceptional team of students, postdoctoral researchers, engineers, clinicians, and collaborators from around the world. We believe that the most impactful innovations emerge at the intersection of disciplines and through close collaboration between academia, medicine, and industry.
As our research continues to evolve, our vision remains unchanged: to bridge biology and technology, enabling more intuitive, accessible, and intelligent interactions between humans and machines.
