Dr. Shaghayegh Shajari
“I bridge materials science, engineering, and medicine to advance sustainable health innovation.”
Dr. Shaghayegh Shajari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Mechatronics Engineering, with an affiliation in the Biomedical Engineering Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on continuous and personalized health monitoring through smart, wearable, and implantable technologies to enable patient-centered care at home. During her PhD, she received over sixteen awards for her work on polymer nanocomposites for wearable sensors and flexible electronics. She continued advancing her research in biomaterials, wearable biosensors, microfluidics, bio-MEMS, and implantable drug delivery systems as a postdoctoral scholar. She held the Brain CREATE Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Calgary, and later the prestigious NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA and Northwestern University’s Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics.
Highlights
Subject matter expert in wearable and implantable healthcare solutions.
Working at the intersection of materials science, biomaterials, nanotechnology, bioelectronics, and smart manufacturing, Dr. Shajari’s research has led to three journal cover features, two patents (US, CA, WIPO), twenty-one peer-reviewed journal articles (including one featured article), and eighteen conference presentations.
Director of the Shajari Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).
Dr. Shajari leads The Shajari Lab for Bio-Interfaced Soft Material Technologies in Translational Biomedical Devices and Sustainability, which is part of the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST). The lab focuses on the design and engineering of bio-interfaced soft materials and systems for wearable and implantable devices, tissue engineering, soft robotics, and eco-friendly biomedical technologies. A central goal of her lab is integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop intelligent, sustainable, and patient-centered diagnostic and therapeutic platforms.
Dedicated to mentorship, equity, and community engagement in STEM fields.
Dr. Shajari has held multiple leadership and mentorship roles, including President of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association at the University of Calgary, Associate Editor for the Women in Sensors special issue in Frontiers in Sensors, and cohort leader in the WISE Planet: Women in Science and Engineering program, where she leads a Leadership Equity Action Plan to support recruitment and retention of women in STEM. Her service has been recognized with the Graduate Citizenship Award and the Graduate Engineering Student Citizenship Award.
Additional Info
The Shajari Lab
At TMU, Dr. Shajari leads The Shajari Lab for Bio-Interfaced Soft Material Technologies in Translational Biomedical Devices and Sustainability. The lab focuses on the design and engineering of bio-interfacing soft materials and systems for applications in wearable and implantable devices, tissue engineering, soft robotics, and sustainable biomedical and environmental technologies. Her research operates at the intersection of materials science, biomaterials, micro/nanotechnology, and smart manufacturing. A key focus of the lab is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to advance point-of-care diagnostics and therapeutic platforms, with the overarching goal of developing sustainable, intelligent, and patient-centered medical solutions.
Patents
- A. S. Nezhad, J. S. Bains, S. Shajari, R. Salahandish, D. Rosenegger, Wearable Biosensor Device and Method for Detection and Measurement of Bio-Molecules and Bio-Particles. United States Provisional Patent, Appl. No. 18294405, US 2025/0090049 A1 (2025).
- A. S. Nezhad, J. S. Bains, S. Shajari, R. Salahandish, D. Rosenegger, Wearable Biosensor Device and Method for Detection and Measurement of Bio-Molecules and Bio-Particles. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Appl. No. PCT/CA2022/051189, PAT WO/2023/010217; Canada Appl. No. 3228054, PAT CA3228054A1 (2023).
Journal Articles
- S. Cho, S. M. Shaban, R. Song, H. Zhang, D. Yang, ..., S. Shajari, ..., Y. Huang, D. Kim, J. A. Rogers, “A skin-interfaced microfluidic platform supports dynamic sweat biochemical analysis during human exercise,” Science Translational Medicine, 16, eado5366 (2024).
- J. Kim, Z. Xie, Z. Peng, H. Hong, S. Shajari, Y. Guo, H. Wu, Y. Meng, R. Plamthottam, Y. Zhu, Y. Qiu, H. Wang, A. Cheng, Q. Pei, “Deformable Joule Heating Electrode Based on a Silver Nanowire and Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Layer and Its Application in a Refreshable Multi-Cell Braille Display,” Advanced Functional Materials, (2024), 2400023.
- S. Shajari, Y. Z. Keteklahijani, M. Arjmand, M. Mahmoodi, U. Sundararaj, “A Soft and Mechanically Robust Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Material in Polypropylene Reinforced by Aligned Steel Fibers and Crystalline Structures,” ACS Applied Engineering Materials & Interfaces, 2(4), 905–918 (2024).
- S. Shajari, R. Salahandish, A. Zare, M. Hassani, S. Moossavi, E. Munro, R. Rashid, D. Rosenegger, J. S. Bains, A. S. Nezhad, “MicroSweat: A Wearable Microfluidic Patch for Noninvasive and Reliable Sweat Collection Enables Human Stress Monitoring,” Advanced Science, (2023), 2204171.
- S. Shajari, K. Kuruvinashetti, A. Komeili, U. Sundararaj, “The Emergence of AI-Based Wearable Sensors for Digital Health Technology: A Review,” Sensors (invited paper), 23, 39498 (2023).
- R. Moaref, S. Shajari, U. Sundararaj, “From Waste to Value Added Products: Recyclable High Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Nanocomposite from End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Waste,” Polymers (invited paper), 16(1), 120 (2024).
- S. Shajari (Corresponding Author), S. Ramakrishnan, K. Karan, L. J. Sudak, U. Sundararaj, “Ultrasensitive Wearable Sensor with Novel Hybrid Structures of Silver Nanowires and Carbon Nanotubes in Fluoroelastomer: Multi-Directional Sensing for Human Health Monitoring and Stretchable Electronics,” Applied Materials Today, 26, 101295 (2022).
- S. Shajari, M. Rajabian, M. Kamkar, L. J. Sudak, U. Sundararaj, “A Solution-Processable and Highly Flexible Conductor of a Fluoroelastomer FKM and Carbon Nanotubes with Tuned Electrical Conductivity and Mechanical Performance,” Soft Matter, 18, 7537–7549 (2022).
- S. Shajari, M. Mahmoodi, M. Rajabian, K. Karan, U. Sundararaj, L. J. Sudak, “Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Carbon Nanotube/Fluoroelastomer Nanocomposite with a Double-Percolated Network for Wearable Electronics,” Advanced Electronic Materials, (2020), 1901067. (Featured in Hot Topics of “Carbon, Graphene, and Graphite” sectors)
- S. Shajari, M. Arjmand, S. P. Pawar, U. Sundararaj, L. J. Sudak, “Synergistic Effect of Hybrid Filler of Stainless Steel Fiber and Carbon Nanotube on Mechanical Properties and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding of Polypropylene Nanocomposites,” Composites Part B: Engineering, 165, 662–670 (2019).
- M. TabkhPaz, S. Shajari, M. Mahmoodi, D.-Y. Park, H. Suresh, S. S. Park, “Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube and Hexagonal Boron Nitride Polymer Composites,” Composites Part B: Engineering, 100, 19–30 (2016).
| Leader, WISE Planet: Women in Science and Engineering Cohort 5 | The University of Calgary | Jan 2025–present |
| Postdocs Professional Development Committee Member | Northwestern University Postdoctoral Association (NUPA) | Sep 2023–Jun 2024 |
| Committee Member, Department Head Selection | Mechanical Engineering Dept, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary | Apr 2020–Jun 2020 |
| President, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association (MEGSA) | The University of Calgary | Jul 2019–Jun 2020 |
| Executive Member, Grad Career Days Workshop | Graduate Engineering Student Consortium (GESC), University of Calgary | Feb 2019 |
| Committee Member, Women in Science and Engineering Group (WISE) | The University of Calgary | Jan 2019 |
| Vice President, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Association (MEGSA) | The University of Calgary, Schulich School of Engineering | Jul 2017–Jul 2019 |
| Committee Member & Event Coordinator, Newcomers and International Students Subcommittee (NISS) | Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), University of Calgary | Sep 2018–May 2019 |
| Executive Member, Graduate Students’ Association Award Committee | University of Calgary | Sep 2018–May 2019 |
| Co-chair, ICMMME 2018 Conference | Paris, France | Mar 2018 |
| Executive Member, University of Calgary NanoGroup | The University of Calgary | May 2015–May 2018 |
- Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
- IEEE Professional Member
- Women in Engineering Group, University of Calgary
- IEEE Women in Engineering
- IEEE Young Professional
- IEEE Nanotechnology Council
- IEEE Sensor Council
| Guest Editor: Associated Editor/Coordinator | Frontiers in Sensors | April 2023–present | https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/54816/women-in-sensors-vol-i (external link) |
| Guest Editor | Micromachines, Journal | Oct 2023–2024 | |
| Guest Editor | Micromachines, Journal | Jan 2021–Dec 2021 | https://www.mdpi.com/journal/micromachines/special_issues/wear_biosensors (external link) |
| Title | Publication/Channel | Date | Description | Link |
| "Sweating the (stress) details" | You wear it... well (podcast) | March 2023 | Interview with the Founder and CEO of Spectrum Ergonomics and Occupational Health Services, and Private Orthopedic and Regenerative Medicine Practitioner, Dr. Jeff Hiserman. | |
| "UCalgary researchers develop wearable patch to monitor links between sweat and stress levels” | UCalgary News | Jan 2023 | Featured in a short video discussing human stress monitoring and concussion patient monitoring. | http://ow.ly/6aig50MUQpq (external link) |
| “Monitoring stress levels from your sweat? Calgary team tests out sensor” | CTV News | March 2023 | Research featured in a news segment about a novel wearable sweat patch for measuring stress levels. | https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/monitoring-stress-levels-from-your-sweat-calgary-team-tests-out-sensor-1.6313061 (external link) |
| Award/Recognition | Year(s) | |
| BEST Paper Award, Sensors Journal | July 2025 | |
| ACS PMSE Future Faculty Awardee | March 2025 | |
| NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship | February 2023–June 2025 | |
| Best Mentor of Spring Semester, Rogers Lab, Northwestern University-QSIB | June 2024 | |
| Postdoctoral Research Slam Three-Minute Talk Competition Finalist (Honor) | February 2022 | |
| Brain CREATE Postdoctoral Fellowship | September 2020–August 2022 | |
| International Conferences Outside of North America Award | October 2019 | |
| Eyes High International Doctoral Scholarship | May 2019–April 2020 | |
| Graduate Engineering Student Citizenship Award | May 2019 | |
| Graduate Citizenship Award | May 2019 | |
| Doctoral Completion Scholarship | May 2018–April 2019 | |
| Schulich School Activity Fund (SSAF) | April 2018 | |
| Best Presentation Award, ICMMME Conference (WASET) (Honor) | March 2018 | |
| Faculty of Graduate Studies Travel Award | February 2018 | |
| GSA Peer Beyond Interdisciplinary Research First Poster Presentation Award (Honor) | February 2018 | |
| Peer Beyond Interdisciplinary Research First Poster Presentation Award (Honor) | February 2018 | |
| Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF) | May 2017–April 2019 | |
| Open Doctoral Scholarship | May 2017–April 2019 | |
| Deans' Doctoral Scholarship | May 2017–April 2019 | |
| Eyes High International Doctoral Scholarship | May 2017–April 2019 | |
| Faculty of Graduate Studies in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scholarship | May 2016–January 2017 | |
| Department of Mechanical Recruitment Scholarship | January 2015–April 2015 | |
| University International Postgraduate Award (UIPA) (declined) | September 2014 | |
| School of Engineering & Physical Sciences Scholarship (declined) | September 2014 | |
| DAAD Scholarship, German Academic Exchange Service (declined) | September 2014 | |
| Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) (Short-listed) | May 2014 | |
| Ranked Second for M.Sc. Graduate Student Award (Honor) | February 2012 | |
| Full Scholarship M.Sc. Program at Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) (declined) | September 2009 | |
| Distinguished Alumni Undergraduate Award (Honor) | September 2009 | |
| Ranked First for B.Sc. Graduate Student Award (Honor) | September 2009 | |
| Privileged Undergraduate Student Award (Honor) | September 2008 |
Education
Year |
University |
Degree |
2023-2025 |
Northwestern University, Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics (QSIB) |
Postdoctoral |
2023 |
University of California (Los Angeles) UCLA, Materials Science and Engineering Department | Visiting Postdoctoral |
2020-2022 |
University of Calgary, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Departments, Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), Chemical Engineering Department | Postdoctoral |
2015-2020 |
University of Calgary, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department |
PhD |
2009-2012 |
Tarbiat Modares University, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department |
MSc |
2005-2009 |
Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department | BSc |