“Can Polyelectrolyte Mechanical Properties Be Directly Modulated By an Electric Field? A Molecular Dynamics Study” has just been published in Advanced Functional Materials. This study was carried out by first author Prathamesh Raiter who just completed his MS in the lab, and the concept came from former postdoc Yuval Vidavsky. Using molecular dynamics, this work shows that the bulk mechanical properties of polyelectrolytes can be modulated by the application of electric fields. The dominant mechanisms responsible for the stiffening and strengthening in the explored systems are chain orientation, chain extension, entanglement density and electrostatic interactions. These functional materials have potential applications within the soft robotics and energy fields.