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    Ilknur Telkes, PhD, MS (she/her/hers)

    Assistant Professor
    University of Arizona
    Tucson, Arizona, United States

    Ilknur Telkes, PhD, MS is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arizona. Trained in biomedical engineering and neuroscience, she leads a translational neuroengineering program integrating EEG, intraoperative neurophysiology, and machine learning to develop objective biomarkers for neuromodulation, particularly SCS for chronic pain. Her work bridges mechanism-driven studies, wearable monitoring, and data-driven outcome prediction, with over 60 scientific publications including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters, in leading venues such as PNAS, Neurosurgery, and Scientific Reports.

    Her research has been supported by NIH (K99/R00), Arizona Biomedical Research Centre, and UA’s TRIF/Eighteenth Mile initiative. She has also contributed to NIH U44 device-development and NSF-supported neuroengineering projects and serves as a reviewer for NIH study sections including NINDS and NIMH SBIR/STTR and HEAL Initiative panels.

    Nationally, Dr. Telkes serves on the NANS Advocacy & Policy and Education Committees, organizes scientific programs focusing on next-generation brain and spinal cord stimulation, and is an Associate Editor for Frontiers in Pain Research. She is the recipient of the NANS Rising Star Early Career Award (2025), CNS Ronald R. Tasker Young Investigator Award (2017&2025), NANS Krishna Kumar Young Investigator Award (2023), and Neurosurgery’s 2023 Pain Paper of the Year.


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