Future Scholar of America / Doctoral student Navya Joy finds joy in research, teaching

Navya Joy, a South Dakota State University doctoral student in electrical engineering, is working on a research project that could radically change how medical laboratory testing is done.

She is working on a project with Sungyong Jung, head of the McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, that could replace conventional, large-scale medical laboratory instrumentation with a computer board as small as a credit card.

This miraculous device, called an all-in-one electroanalytical device, can also be modified for environmental monitoring, food safety assessment and agricultural analysis. “By enabling on-site testing at the point of need, it eliminates the reliance on centralized laboratory facilities for sample analysis,” said Joy, who joined Jung’s lab in January 2025.

She is one of 17 Future Scholars of America, a program created in fiscal year 2025 by the Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering. 

“The program provides structured support to help graduate students build both their capabilities as researchers and their capacity as instructors, while also exposing them to professional development and outreach opportunities that prepare them for a variety of academic careers,” the program’s statement proclaims.

Since its inception with 13 participants and an allocation of $118,000, it has grown to 17 participants and an allocation of $149,000.

Electrodes activated by blood, saliva

Jung, who arrived at SDSU July 1, 2024, after a 22-year career at the University of Texas at Arlington, had worked with a former lab student on the project since 2022. That lab student developed the initial device. Joy has modified and improved the performance to measure a low level of chemical concentration, Jung said.

The device measures an electro-chemical reaction that mirrors what would occur in laboratory testing. By knowing the levels of electrical activity, the card can product results that would match what a lab could do.

“The device is capable of analyzing up to eight sensors simultaneously, enabling the concurrent detection of multiple chemical or biological markers,” Joy said.

Jung said, “Either blood or saliva can be dropped on screen-printed electrodes in the card-size device.” He expects development to be complete in a couple of months. 

It is capable of performing several electrochemical analysis techniques, namely voltammetry (measuring potential volts in an electrochemical cell), amperometry (measuring current in an electrochemical cell), conductometry (measuring electrolytic conductivity in an electrochemical cell), potentiometry (measuring the difference in electrode potentials in an electrochemical cell) and impedimetry, which can detect antibody-antigen interaction or microbial growth.

Unique product still needs testing

“There are researchers who have worked on electrochemical sensing systems. However, there is no other portable device that can provide a comprehensive and real-time analysis of multiple analytes,” Jung said.

The successful development of this product is certain to attract commercial interest. Jung notes he already has been contacted by other electrochemistry researchers who expressed interest in the product. But he cautioned, “It needs a lot more testing to be commercialized. I hope that we can come up with the commercialization plan in a couple of years at most.”

Joy feels call to inspire future researchers

Joy expects to be able to work on the project until 2029, when she completes her doctorate in electrical engineering.

She came to SDSU after completing her master’s degree at Linköping University in Sweden in June 2024, where she had an international scholarship for academic excellence. Her specialization was in analog/radio frequency/mixed-signal integrated circuit design.

Joy received her bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering in 2015 from Government Engineering College, Barton Hill, Kerala, India, where she is from originally.

She interviewed for a position in Jung’s integrated sensing circuits and systems lab at the same time she was completing her master’s thesis — June 2024. She said she was attracted to the lab because it “mostly deals with sensing and sensors and smart conversion. A lot that can contribute to the future of the world.”

Honing teaching skills as lab TA

Since arriving here, in addition to working on the all-in-one electroanalytic device, Joy has been a teaching assistant in three labs — digital system, basic electrical engineering 1 and basic electrical engineering 2.

Joy said she has known since childhood that she wanted to be an engineer. She said she was inspired by her professors while she was obtaining her master’s degree and decided she wanted to go into academia so she could inspire others.

Seeing the increased confidence and competence students gained from basic electrical engineering 1 and basic electrical engineering 2 helped cement Joy’s intention of becoming a professor.

“I hope I can motivate a lot of students to go into research.”`