# overview
I am the world's smallest plumber--my research involves manipulating fluid flow in tiny channels the size of a human hair. Harnessing microfluidic phenomena makes it possible to build pocket-sized systems that can perform sophisticated chemical and biochemical tests outside the confines of a conventional lab. But achieving precise control over the flow of liquids at these small size scales is extremely challenging. Therefore, we are working to understand fundamental transport phenomena in microfluidic systems, and how they can be exploited to enable innovative applications including:

Fast and inexpensive diagnosis of infection and disease.

Sensitive screening for early detection of cancer.

Biodegradable sponges for easy cleanup of oil spills.

Spontaneous organization of chemical building blocks to form long-chain molecules--a key unanswered question in the origin of life.

# keywords[]
3403 Macromolecular And Materials Chemistry

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
Biopanning-based Screening Of Bacterial Surface Display Library

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4.2 Evaluation Of Markers And Technologies

# keywords[]
4.1 Discovery And Preclinical Testing Of Markers And Technologies

# keywords[]
3403 Macromolecular And Materials Chemistry

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4607 Graphics, Augmented Reality And Games

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# keywords[]
4012 Fluid Mechanics And Thermal Engineering

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
Northwestern University - (Evanston, Illinois, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor - (Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States)

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
The University of Texas at Austin - (Austin, Texas, United States)

# awardsAndHonors[].label
Association of Former Students University-Level Distinguished Achievement Award, The

# awardsAndHonors[].label
Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award

# publications[].label
DNA to go: A do-it-yourself PCR thermocycler lab

# publications[].label
TIME-RESOLVED VELOCITY MEASUREMENTS IN A MATCHED REFRACTIVE INDEX FACILITY OF RANDOMLY PACKED SPHERES

# publications[].label
A PocketSized Convective PCR Thermocycler

# publications[].label
Microdevice-based measurements of diffusion and dispersion in cross-linked and linear polyacrylamide DNA sequencing gels

# publications[].label
Pressure drop measurements in a versatile experimental facility of packed spheres

# publications[].label
Enhanced gene delivery by transverse cell migration during flow-through electroporation

# publications[].label
Transient molecular orientation and rheology in flow aligning thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers

# publications[].label
Smartphone-based detection of unlabeled DNA via electrochemical dissolution.

# publications[].label
Influence of pore morphology on DNA separation performance in microchip gel electrophoresis

# publications[].label
An entropic force microscope enables nano-scale conformational probing of biomolecules.

# publications[].label
Development of a miniature calorimeter for identification and detection of energetic compounds

# publications[].label
Discovery of Targeted Material Binding Microorganisms Using a Centrifugal Microfluidic Platform

# publications[].label
Expectations of Skills and Knowledge in Traditional and Non-Traditional Industries for Chemical Engineering Graduates

# publications[].publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

# publications[].label
A versatile microfabricated platform for electrophoresis of double- and single-stranded DNA.

# publications[].label
DNA focusing using microfabricated electrode arrays.

# publications[].label
A pocket-sized convective PCR thermocycler.

# publications[].label
Electrophoresis in microfabricated devices using photopolymerized polyacrylamide gels and electrode-defined sample injection.

# publications[].label
Microvascular Networks for Tissue Engineering

# publications[].label
Development of a miniature calorimeter for identification and detection of explosives and other energetic compounds.

# publications[].label
Simple, lithography-free fabrication of embedded multi-scale surface features via crystallographic imprinting

# publications[].label
Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings: Preface

# publications[].label
Micromixing using planar curved channels

# publications[].label
Synchronized chaotic targeting and acceleration of surface chemistry in prebiotic hydrothermal microenvironments.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
In-situ x-ray scattering investigation of the influence of shear and thermal histories on molecular alignment in a model thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer

# publications[].label
Transient 1-2 plane small-angle x-ray scattering measurements of micellar orientation in aligning and tumbling nematic surfactant solutions

# publications[].label
Cross-linked polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of single-stranded DNA for microfabricated genomic analysis systems

# publications[].label
A direct probe of the interplay between bilayer morphology and surface reactivity in polymersomes.

# publications[].label
Interference-based probe of the nano-scale topography of microparticles

# publications[].label
Chaotically accelerated polymerase chain reaction by microscale Rayleigh-Bnard convection.

# publications[].label
AC 2012-3929: DNA TO GO: A DO-IT-YOURSELF PCR THERMOCY-CLER LAB

# publications[].label
Interfacial complexation explains anomalous diffusion in nanofluids.

# publications[].label
Collection, focusing, and metering of DNA in microchannels using addressable electrode arrays for portable low-power bioanalysis.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
An inexpensive microslab gel DNA electrophoresis system with real-time fluorescence detection.

# publications[].label
Probability analysis of velocity distribution in a facility of randomly packed spheres featuring matching-refractive-index and time-resolved PIV techniques

# publications[].label
Microscale chaotic advection enables enhanced surface electrochemistry in hydrothermal pore environments

# publications[].label
Selecting 3D chatoic flow states for accelerated DNA replication in micro-scale convective PCR

# publications[].label
A microfluidic platform for rapid screening of separation performance in gel matrices for DNA electrophoresis

# publications[].label
Embedding hands-on mini laboratory experiences in a core undergraduate fluid mechanics course: A pilot study

# publications[].label
Development of an environmental particle collector system for continuous sampling of ultrafine aerosols

# publications[].label
Chapter 2 Microvascular Networks for Tissue Engineering

# publications[].label
Tailoring Bulk Transport in Hydrogels through Control of Polydispersity in the Nanoscale Pore Size Distribution

# publications[].label
COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS ANALYSIS OF VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS-COOLED REACTOR CAVITY COOLING SYSTEM

# publications[].label
A membraneless continuous-flow filter for high-throughput separation and enrichment of particles and cells

# publications[].label
Advances in On-Chip Fluorescence Detection for DNA Analysis Systems

# publications[].label
Chaotically accelerated biochemistry in microscale convective flows

# publications[].label
Utilization of Microfabricated Gel Electrophoresis for Spaceflight Applications

# publications[].publisher
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

# publications[].label
Introduction to next generation sequencing and genotyping issue.

# publications[].label
Localized fluorescent complexation enables rapid monitoring of airborne nanoparticles

# publications[].label
In situ X-ray scattering study of a model thermotropic copolyester under shear: Evidence and consequences of flow-aligning behavior

# publications[].label
Using microchip gel electrophoresis to probe DNA-drug binding interactions.

# publications[].label
Sculpting tissue scaffolds with embedded 3-D vasculature

# publications[].label
Investigating DNA migration in pulsed fields using a miniaturized FIGE system.

# publications[].label
PCR in a Rayleigh-Bnard convection cell.

# publications[].publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

# publications[].label
Harnessing enzymatically machined nanoand micro-scale surface topographies for high-throughput separations

# publications[].label
A buoyancy-driven compact thermocycler for rapid PCR.

# publications[].label
On the effect of turbulence modeling and near-wall treatment in simulating heat exchange in the reactor cavity cooling system using STAR-CCM+ CFD Code

# publications[].label
The nanoporous morphology of photopolymerized crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogels for DNA electrophoresis

# publications[].label
A versatile microfabricated platform for electrophoresis of double- and single-stranded DNA

# publications[].label
Tunable in-situ electro-polymerization of hydrogel films for microchip-based bioanalysis.

# publications[].label
Development of a miniature calorimeter for identification and detection of explosives and other energetic compounds

# publications[].label
Rheology-based pore size estimation in polyacrylamide hydrogels for DNA analysis

# publications[].label
Rapid DNA amplification in bouyancy driven closed loop microfluidic systems

# publications[].label
Miniaturized system for rapid field inversion gel electrophoresis of DNA with real-time whole-gel detection.

# publications[].label
Microfluidic investigation of mass transport enhancement in nanoparticle suspensions

# publications[].label
A Buoyancy-Driven Compact Thermocycler for Rapid PCR

# publications[].label
Tailoring the nanoporous architecture of hydrogels to exploit entropic trapping.

# publications[].label
Reactions and fluidics in miniaturized natural convection systems.

# publications[].label
Novel thermoplastic elastomers for microfluidic device construction

# publications[].label
A simple microfluidic probe of nanoparticle suspension stability.

# publications[].label
Fluid mixing in planar spiral microchannels.

# publications[].label
Time-resolved particle image velocimetry measurements in a low-aspect ratio pebble bed reactor

# publications[].label
An integrated microfluidic device for influenza and other genetic analyses.

# publications[].label
Lab-on-a-drone deployment of nucleic acid-based diagnostics

# publications[].label
Embedding synthetic microvascular networks in poly(lactic acid) substrates with rounded cross-sections for cell culture applications.

# publications[].label
High Resolution Study of Micrometer Particle Detachment on Different Surfaces

# publications[].label
Shear stress overshoots in flow inception of semiflexible thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers: Experimental test of a parameter-free model prediction

# publications[].label
Development of a miniature calorimeter for identification and detection of energetic compounds

# publications[].label
Dynamics and shear orientation behavior of a main-chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer

# publications[].label
Characterization of enzymatic micromachining for construction of variable cross-section microchannel topologies.

# publications[].label
Artificial Vasculature: Rapid Fabrication of Bioinspired 3D Microfluidic Vascular Networks (Adv. Mater. 35/2009)

# publications[].label
Thermal Convection in Hydrothermal Vent Systems: Environments for Integrated Prebiotic Chemistry and Origin of Life Processes

# publications[].label
Orientational flipping and flow alignment of a model main-chain thermotropic LCP

# publications[].label
Microfabrication of 3D structures using novel thermoplastic elastomers

# publications[].label
Enhanced resolution in microchip dna electrophoresis by tailoring hydrogel nanostructure to exploit entropic trapping

# publications[].label
Microfluidics for exosome isolation and analysis: enabling liquid biopsy for personalized medicine.

# publications[].label
Tunable Synthesis of Encapsulated Microbubbles by Coupled Electrophoretic Stabilization and Electrochemical Inflation

# publications[].label
Microscale chaotic advection enables robust convective DNA replication.

# publications[].label
Polymerase Chain Reaction in Miniaturized Systems

# publications[].label
Using in situ rheology to characterize the microstructure in photopolymerized polyacrylamide gels for DNA electrophoresis.

# publications[].label
Cross-linked polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of single-stranded DNA for microfabricated genomic analysis systems.

# publications[].label
Review of electrophoresis and BioMEMS in 2007: American Electrophoresis Society 24th Annual Meeting.

# publications[].label
Time-resolved particle image velocimetry measurements in a low-aspect ratio pebble bed reactor

# publications[].label
Preface to Special Topic: Papers from the 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Electrophoresis Society, San Francisco, CA.

# publications[].label
Development of an advanced nanocalorimetry system for material characterization

# publications[].label
Three dimensional simulation of RCCS heat exchange using STAR-CCM+ CFD code

# publications[].label
Rapid fabrication and characterization of 3-D branched microvascular flow networks

# publications[].label
Rapid reactivity screening using a nanocalorimeter

# publications[].label
THREE DIMENSIONAL SIMULATION OF RAYLEIGH-BENARD CONVECTION FOR RAPID MICROSCALE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION

# publications[].label
Outstanding Reviewers for Lab on a Chip in 2019.

# publications[].label
Accelerating Pathogen Detection: Towards Portable, Rapid Isothermal PCR Diagnostics

# publications[].label
Time-resolved PIV measurements in a low-aspect ratio facility of randomly packed spheres and flow analysis using modal decomposition

# publications[].label
Integrated plastic microfluidic device for ssDNA separation

# publications[].label
Focusing, collection, and metering of DNA using microfabricated electrode arrays

# publications[].label
Enhanced separation performance in microfabricated electrophoresis devices by electric field induced collection and metering of DNA

# publications[].label
X-ray scattering investigation of highly concentrated poly(benzyl glutamate) solutions under shear flow

# publications[].label
Rapid PCR thermocycling using microscale thermal convection.

# publications[].label
Electrophoresis in microfabricated devices using photopolymerized polyacrylamide gels and electrode-defined sample injection

# publications[].label
Enhanced microfluidic mixing using planar curved channel geometries

# publications[].label
Enzymatic sculpting of nanoscale and microscale surface topographies.

# publications[].label
Microfabricated electrophoresis systems for DNA sequencing and genotyping applications: current technology and future directions.

# publications[].label
Polymerase chain reaction in miniaturized systems: big progress in little devices.

# publications[].label
Discovery of Targeted Material Binding Microorganisms Using a Centrifugal Microfluidic Platform (Adv. Mater. Technol. 9/2021)

# publications[].label
Continuous online nanoparticle sizing and characterization

# publications[].label
Separation performance of single-stranded DNA electrophoresis in photopolymerized cross-linked polyacrylamide gels.

# publications[].label
Thermally-targeted adsorption and enrichment in microscale hydrothermal pore environments

# publications[].label
An assessment of large-eddy simulation in predicting the turbulence effect for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor cavity cooling system

# publications[].label
Rapid Fabrication of Bio-inspired 3D Microfluidic Vascular Networks

# publications[].label
Convective PCR Thermocycling with Smartphone-Based Detection: A Versatile Platform for Rapid, Inexpensive, and Robust Mobile Diagnostics

# publications[].label
A hybrid passive micromixer capable of efficient mixing over a wide Re range

# publications[].label
X-ray scattering measurements of molecular orientation in thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers under flow

# publications[].label
Chaotically Accelerated Polymerase Chain Reaction by Microscale RayleighBnard Convection

# publications[].label
Education: DNA replication using microscale natural convection.

# publications[].label
Cell motion in shear flow combined with Dean vortices strongly affects DNA transfer during flow-through electroporation

# publications[].label
DNA-to-go: A portable smartphone-enabled PCR assay platform

# publications[].label
Enzymatic Sculpting of Nanoscale and Microscale Surface Topographies

# publications[].label
DYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS OF MICRO-METER PARTICLE DETACHMENT ON GLASS SURFACES

# publications[].label
Novel Convective Flow Based Approaches for High-Throughput PCR Thermocycling

# publications[].label
A nanometre-scale resolution interference-based probe of interfacial phenomena between microscopic objects and surfaces.

# publications[].label
Origins of region I shear thinning in model lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers

# publications[].label
Measurements of electrorheological fluid flow through a rectangular channel using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging

# publications[].label
Entropic stochastic resonance enables trapping under periodic confinement: a Brownian-dynamics study.

# publications[].publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

# publications[].label
Printed circuit technology for fabrication of plastic-based microfluidic devices.

# publications[].label
Rapid fabrication of 3-D branched microvascular flow networks

# publications[].label
Microchip DNA electrophoresis with automated whole-gel scanning detection.

# publications[].label
Microdevice-based measurements of diffusion and dispersion in cross-linked and linear polyacrylamide DNA sequencing gels.

# publications[].label
BioMEMS and Electrophoresis in 2006: Review of the 23rd Annual Meeting of the American Electrophoresis Society.

# publications[].label
ANALYSIS OF RCCS HEAT EXCHANGE FOR BENCHMARKING OF CFD CODES

# publications[].label
Lab-on-a-Drone: Toward Pinpoint Deployment of Smartphone-Enabled Nucleic Acid-Based Diagnostics for Mobile Health Care.

# publications[].label
Microfluidic manipulation of mass transport in nanoparticle suspensions

# publications[].label
DNA to Go: A Do-it-Yourself PCR Thermocycler Lab

# publications[].publisher
American Society for Engineering Education

# publications[].label
A generic platform for label-free detection of proteins, DNA, and other charged analytes

# publications[].label
A versatile platform for rapid labelfree detection of proteins and small molecules using microfabricated electrode arrays

# publications[].label
Orientational flipping and flow alignment of a model thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer.

# publications[].label
Birefringence, X-ray scattering, and neutron scattering measurements of molecular orientation in sheared liquid crystal polymer solutions

# publications[].label
Reflection interference contrast microscopy of arbitrary convex surfaces.

# publications[].label
Tunable synthesis of encapsulated microbubbles by coupled electrophoretic stabilization and electrochemical inflation.

# publications[].label
Multi-Parameter Optimization of Microfluidic Convective PCR for Rapid Portable Bioanalysis

# publications[].label
Integrated microsystems for controlled drug delivery.

# publications[].label
Intein-triggered artificial protein hydrogels that support the immobilization of bioactive proteins.

# publications[].label
DNA mutation detection and analysis using miniaturized microfluidic systems.

# publications[].label
A new approach to embed branched 3D microchannel networks in hydrogel substrates: Fabrication and transport analysis

# publications[].label
Thermoplastic elastomer gels: an advanced substrate for microfluidic chemical analysis systems.

# publications[].label
Rapid PCR Thermocycling using Microscale Thermal Convection

# publications[].label
HARNESSING CHAOTIC FLOW EFFECTS IN MICROSCALE NATURAL CONVECTION TO ACHIEVE ACCELERATED BIOCHEMISTRY

# researcherOn[].label
Experimental and Computational Studies of NEAMS Pebble Bed Reactors

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
United States Department of Energy - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Rapid Fabrication of Bio-Inspired Microvascular Networks

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Microvesicle Isolation from Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infected Macrophage using Multi-stage Microfluidic Channel

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Institutes of Health - (Bethesda, Maryland, United States)

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Spatiotemporally Resolved Multiscale Measurements of Single- and Multi-Phase Flows Using State-Of-The-Art System of X-ray Tomography and Optical Sensors

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
United States Department of Energy - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Chaotic Synchronization of Surface Chemistry and Vesicular Assembly in Hydrothermal Microenvironments

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
EAGER: Collaborative Research: Privacy-enhancing CrowdPCR for Early Epidemic Detection

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Rapid screening of biomolecular conformation and binding interactions

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
I-Corps: Biodegradable 3D-Printed Oil Absorbents

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
High-throughput Screening and Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas - (Austin, Texas, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Chaotically Mediated Biochemistry and Vesicular Protocell Assembly in Prebiotic Hydrothermal Microenvironments

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Aeronautics and Space Administration - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# streetAddress
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station; Chemical Engineering; 3122 TAMU

# etdChairOf[].label
Lo, Chih-Cheng (2008-05). Dna electrophoresis in photopolymerized polyacrylamide gels on a microfluidic device. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Huang, Yu-Wen (2013-12). Coupled Microscale Electrophoresis and Electrochemistry:  A Versatile Platform for Label-free Detection, Manufacture of Encapsulated Microbubbles and Protein Crystallization. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Agrawal, Shilpa (2006-05). Photo-initiated cross-linked polyacrylamide gels for microdevice electrophoresis. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Huang, Jen-Huang (2012-12). Novel Methods to Construct Microchannel Networks with Complex Topologies. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Chang, Ya-Wen (2012-10). Discotic Liquid Crystals and Polymersomes: Molecule Goniometers. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Shi, Nan (2014-12). Investigation of the Effect of Hydrogel Pore Morphology on DNA Migration Mechanisms in Microchip Gel Electrophoresis. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Meng, Fanxu (2015-05). Continuous Nanoparticle Sizing and Characterization via Microfluidics. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Shaikh, Faisal (2008-08). Collection, focusing, and metering of DNA in microchannels using addressable electrode arrays for portable low-power bioanalysis. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Kassab, Asmaa 1983- (2012-08). High Resolution Study of Micro-Meter Particle Detachment and Resuspension on Different Surfaces. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Muddu, Radha Malini Gowri (2012-02). Three Dimensional Simulation of Rayleigh-Benard Convection for Rapid Microscale Polymerase Chain Reaction. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Chen, Xiaojia (2008-08). An Investigation on Gel Electrophoresis with Quantum Dots End-labeled DNA. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Contreras Naranjo, Jose Clemente (2013-12). Interference-based Investigation of Microscopic Objects Near Surfaces: a View From Below. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Priye, Aashish (2015-05). Micro-Scale Complex Flows Enables Robust DNA Replication, Enhanced Transport and Tunable Fluid-Particle Interactions. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Liu, Yen-Shan (2007-04). Development of an advanced nanocalorimetry system for rapid material characterizations. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Sudarsan, Arjun Penubolu (2003-08). Fabrication of masters for microfluidic devices using conventional printed circuit technology. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Ozturk, Serdar 1979- (2012-12). Microfluidic Investigation of Tracer Dye Diffusion in Alumina Nanofluids. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Agrawal, Nitin (2006-12). Design and characterization of convective thermal cyclers for high-speed DNA analysis. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Wang, Jian (2008-05). The nanoporous morphology of photopolymerized crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogels. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Sudarsan, Arjun Penubolu (2006-12). Multivortex micromixing: novel techniques using Dean flows for passive microfluidic mixing. Doctoral Dissertation.

# etdChairOf[].label
Ravisankar, Vijay (2016-12). Precipitate Generation and Characterization of Corrosion Source Alumina for GSI-191 Chemical Effects Issue. Master's Thesis.