Jessika Jessika

I am a doctoral student at the Division of Nanobiotechnology at KTH and SciLifeLab, pursuing a PhD in Biotechnology with Herland Lab. My research lies at the intersection of biomedical microsystems, bioelectronics, and multicellular physiology, with pancreatic islets as my primary biological model.

I hold an MSc in Nanotechnology from KTH, specialising in nanoelectronics/bioMEMS, and a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB, Indonesia), with a focus on biomedical instrumentation and intelligent systems.

Current Projects

My doctoral research focuses on developing experimental technologies for monitoring and interacting with cellular and tissue systems, particularly in the context of pancreatic islet physiology and transplantation. I combine microfabrication, micro-optics, bioelectronics, and optical/electrophysiological measurements to develop platforms for longitudinal monitoring, electrical stimulation, and local intervention. A central part of my technical work involves laser-based microfabrication and characterisation, including multiphoton lithography and ultrafast laser processing of different materials, complemented by coherence scanning interferometry and Raman microscopy.

Some examples of my current works are micro-optical systems for longitudinal fluorescence monitoring, microfabricated organic bioelectronic interfaces, and drug-releasing microstructures for local modulation of the pancreatic islet transplantation environment. More recently, I have become interested in using these technologies to investigate the dynamic behaviour of multicellular physiological systems, focusing on calcium signalling and electrophysiological activity in pancreatic islets.

Previous Projects

My research background covers several domains of biomedical engineering, including biomedical instrumentation, machine learning, biosensors, and biomedical microsystems. Following my BSc at ITB, where I was also active in the university’s award-winning UAV team, I then held parallel roles as a research assistant at ITB’s Lab-on-Chip Research Group and as product development lead for a diagnostic 12-channel ECG in a joint industrial research project within the same department.

During my MSc thesis at KTH's Division of Micro and Nanosystems, I developed an in vitro electrophysiological recording platform for pancreatic islets. This work subsequently led to a research engineer role in a project integrating transgenic mouse pancreatic islets with optoelectronic fluorescence recording devices. Here, I focused on the design, microfabrication, and evaluation of biohybrid implantable structures utilising direct laser writing (DLW) with two-photon polymerisation (TPP).

I am always happy to connect with researchers interested in related topics or potential collaborations! Students interested in thesis projects or internships related to pancreatic islet physiology, microdevice engineering, or physiological modelling are also welcome to contact me.