The School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Grants Tenure to Four Women

The School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology granted tenure to 12 faculty members. Four of the faculty members awarded tenure are women.

Polina Anikeeva is the Class of 1942 Career Development Professor in the department of materials science and engineering. She conducts research in bioelectronics, specifically the development of materials and devices that enable recording and manipulation of signaling processes within the nervous system. She joined the faculty at MIT in 2011. Dr. Anikeeva is a graduate of St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in Russia, where she majored in biophysics. She holds a Ph.D. in material science and engineering from MIT.

Katharina Ribbeck is the Eugene Bell Career Development Professor of Tissue Engineering in the department of biological engineering. She is studying the basic mechanisms by which mucus barriers exclude or allow passage of different molecules and pathogens, and the mechanisms pathogens have evolved to penetrate mucus barriers. Dr. Ribbeck holds a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. She joined the MIT faculty in 2010.

Noelle Selin is an associate professor in the Institute for Data, Systems and Society and the department of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences. Her research uses atmospheric chemistry modeling to inform decision-making on air pollution, climate change, and hazardous substances such as mercury and persistent organic pollutants. Dr. Selin holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and public policy, a master’s degree, and a Ph.D. in earth and planetary sciences, all from Harvard University.

Jessika Trancik is the Atlantic Richfield Career Development Associate Professor in Energy Studies in the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. She evaluates the costs, expected changes, and environmental impacts of energy-related technologies to accelerate their improvement by relating performance to design and manufacturing decisions. Dr. Trancik received a bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Cornell University. She earned a Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.