From bringing together undergraduate and graduate students from different disciplines in science and engineering to conducting undergraduate research in chemical engineering, materials, and physics at UCSB, Anika Mahajan Jena has been extremely active while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering and minor in English at UC Santa Barbara. Recently, a committee of faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering selected the senior as the 2026 Amy Lutz Smiley Scholar in recognition of her excellent academic performance in Chemical Engineering and contributions to the UCSB community as a whole.

 

Jena, who has also received the 2026 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, said that she is honored to receive the Smiley Scholarship. "This recognition reinforces my resolve to pursue research and advanced study while bridging fields to solve impactful problems in Chemical and Materials Engineering."

 

At UCSB, Jena sought out and cultivated stimulating environments to facilitate dialogue and empower students to share perspectives. As Polymer Science Journal Club Chairperson, she broadened the seminars' scope to encompass polymer physics, chemistry, characterization, and engineering. "I wanted to create a space where I would experience the thrill of listening, learning, and discussing the various aspects of polymer research," said Jena. "My seminar series enabled UCSB's broad polymer research community to showcase their work and engage across departments."

 

Jena also served as the Santa Barbara and South Coast Goldwater Representative, hosting local Goldwater meetups to facilitate vibrant exchanges between Scholars. As a Tau Beta Pi CA-S chapter chair, she organized events with AIChE, ASME, and IEEE to foster crossdisciplinary cohesion. She has been deeply engaged in mentoring with UCSB AIChE. At UCSB WiSE, she facilitated the club's expansion to undergraduates, thereafter kickstarting the graduate-undergraduate mentorship program.

 

Jena conducted research in the Takatori Lab at UCSB Chemical Engineering and Materials, and in the Fygenson Lab at UCSB Physics. At the Takatori Lab, Jena developed biocompatible membrane-polymer composite materials with tunable mechanical properties. This work resulted in her co-author publication in Phys. Rev. E, her first-author publication in Soft Matter, and her 2024 Goldwater Scholarship. At the Fygenson Lab, she engineered DNA subunits to self-assemble into complex nanoarchitectures. She presented this work at the ACS Fall 2025 conference as an Eli Lilly Fellow and has prepared a first-author manuscript of this work for submission.

 

Jena is also the recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Tau Beta Pi Graduate Fellowship, and the Stanford Graduate Fellowship. Following her graduation from UCSB, Jena will pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, where she will study advanced functional polymeric materials. "I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to conduct undergraduate research in UCSB's rare and powerful culture of boundary-pushing, impact-driven discovery," Jena said. "I have thrived in UCSB's interdisciplinary, collaborative, and uplifting environment. I am grateful for the support, guidance, and mentorship that has inspired and shaped me as an undergraduate researcher at UCSB."