HerBrain: A breakthrough in pregnancy information
Created by Nina Miolane, UC Santa Barbara assistant professor
HerBrain is the first digital twin of the maternal brain. UC Santa Barbara Assistant Professor Nina Miolane leads a team spanning Europe and the U.S. that’s analyzing data collected through the Ann S. Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative, a research institute that unites seven UC campuses. The team aims to illustrate how brain structures change during pregnancy and beyond, offering science-based insights into changes people experience during this time. The HerBrain app is set to launch by 2027, with the goal of eventually integrating it into other pregnancy apps.
Majorana 1: The first topological quantum chip
Led by UC Santa Barbara professor and Microsoft quantum researcher Chetan Nayak
A flurry of tech breakthroughs in the last year has brought the age of super-powerful quantum computers much closer. Among these, TIME editors hailed the arrival of Majorana 1 from Microsoft, developed under the leadership of UC Santa Barbara professor Chetan Nayak. This palm-sized computer chip relies on topological quantum mechanics, which promises more stability and robustness to error than other quantum systems.
TPSea Flex from Sway: Compostable retail bags
Invented by UC Santa Barbara alum Julia Marsh and UC Berkeley alum Matt Mayes
UC Santa Barbara alum Julia Marsh and UC Berkeley alum Matt Mayes cofounded Sway. This year the company launched an alternative to plastic retail bags called TPSea Flex: a glossy, translucent film spun from farmed seaweed that can be fed through legacy plastic-bag lines. It matches polyethylene’s toughness, but is fully compostable. Sway launched TPSea Flex in 2024 after testing 400 different formulations, and has attained $8.5 million in funding to date — plus a client list including J.Crew and Prana.