Our People - Biotechnology

Research Interests:

• Dynamics and control of MEMS
• Design of MEMS devices
• Micro-power generation
• Multi-body dynamics and control
• Biomechanics

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Research Interests:

• Assistive Robotics and Rehabilitation Engineering

• Neuromechanical Modeling; Robot-Based System ID
• Human-Robot Interaction and Neural Control
• Movement Analysis and Sensorimotor Deficit Modeling
• Smart Implants and Prosthetics
• Intelligent Systems and Machine Learning 

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Research Interests:

• Viral vector drug delivery

• Biological nano-particles (Virus-Like Particles or VLPs)

• Vaccines, gene therapy, gene expression, genetic diseases

• Baculovirus Bioprocessing

• Process dynamics of virus-based systems for the production of complex biologics such as viral vectors and vaccines

• Development of strategies using multiple viruses to obtain recombinant products in cell culture

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[YouTube Lecture] September 30, 2014 "Tools and strategies for complex biologics production in animal cells: applications to insect and mammalian cell culture"

[YouTube] January 26, 2011 "Research Profile: Marc Aucoin"

Research Interests

• Breast cancer, glioblastoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
• Vaccine development
• Immunotherapy
• Phage based nanomedicine

Google Scholar

Research Interests:

• Biomedical optics

• Tissue optics and spectroscopy

• Ultrafast optics, coherence tomography, sensing, imaging

• Confocal and fluorescence microscopy

• Skin cancer detection

• Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

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Research Gate

Research Interests:

• cancer therapy
• colorectal, breast, prostate and lung carcinomas
• cancer tissue microenvironment
• chemokine pathways
• tumor-initiating cells
• proteins

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Research Gate

Research Interests:

• Research, in vitro toxicology, and biotechnology of animal cell cultures
• Roles of nutrition, hormones and polypeptide growth factors on the growth and differentiation of fish tissues and organs.

Research Interests:

• Chemical process control - Robust control, Nonlinear control, Model Predictive Control (MPC)

• Systems biology - modeling, control and optimization of biological processes, metabolic flux analysis, dynamic metabolic flux models, run-to-run (batch to batch) optimization of pharmaceutical process

• Monitoring/Fault Detection of chemical and biological/biotechnological processes - Multivariate statistical methods for monitoring and fault detection, Inferential (soft) sensors

Research Interests:

• Imaging for Type 1 Diabetes
• Alzheimer Diagnosis
• Imaging of the Rear of the Eye
• Optical Properties of the Eye amd changes in the Eye's Optical Properties
• Two Photon Therapies
• Ophthalmic instrumentation, optical systems, quality and design

• Confocal microscopy and ophthalmoscopy, measurement of refractive error

• Retinal image quality

• Optical effects of refractive surgery, reflections from the retina

• Optical properties of the eye, monochromatic aberrations of the eye

• Refractive properties of the crystalline lens and their changes with growth and accommodation

• Eye-imaging systems for treatment and diagnosis

• Biophysics, bio-photonics, and Vision Science.

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[Research2Reality] May 8, 2015 "Early Alzheimer's Diagnosis: Imaging the Living Eye"

[YouTube Lecture] October 1, 2014 "Optics of the Eye as a Window on the Brain"

[YouTube] February 12, 2013 "Melanie Campbell AAAS Profile"

[Waterloo Stories] February 12, 2013 "An early test for Alzhemer's disease"

[Waterloo Stories] January 22, 2013 "Early test for Alzheimer's may rely on the eyes"

Office of Research - Technology Transfer & Commercialization:

• Imaging Amyloid Beta in the Retina
• Ophthalmic and Microscopy Imaging Technology

Research Interests:

• Orthopaedic biomechanics (ACL, knee mechanics)

• Biomedical device design

• Tissue engineering

• Implant design

Research Interests:

• Bacterial molecular genetics

• Functional genomics, metagenomics, genome engineering

• Metabolic functions

• Synthetic biology, bioplastics and bioproducts

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[Biology News] December 21, 2016 "Waterloo biologist part of a research collaboration creating new genetic toolbox"

[Royal Canadian Institute Lecture] November 8, 2015 "Genome Engineering. Should we do it? (Can we afford not to?)"

[YouTube Lecture] September 30, 2014 "Mining microbial metagenomes"

[YouTube Lecture] September 19, 2013 "Mining metagenomes for bioplastics and other useful bioproducts"

[CBB researcher story] November 29, 2012 "Breaking Ground in Open Resource Metagenomics"

Research Interests:

• Nano-Biomedical engineering, biochemistry, molecular cell biology

• Colloid and Surface Science (surface chemistry, absorption kinetics, thermodynamics)

• Polymer materials, CO2

• Energy storage and conversion, battery systems and alternative energy

• Drug and gene delivery, genomics

• Lipid bilayer and cell membrane actions

University Research Chair

Research Interests:

• Biochemical engineering

• Microbial biotechnology

• Synthetic and molecular biology

• Genetic, metabolic and protein engineering

• Biopharmaceuticals (to treat autoimmune diseases and prevent rejection of organ transplants)

• Biomanufacturing, bioprocessing technologies (biological strain construction, bioreaction cultivation, biofuels, bioproduct recovery and purification)

[Waterloo Stories] May 3, 2013 "Can bacteria help create a cheaper fuel for our cars?"

[UW Eng-e-news] August 14, 2013 "Engineering Life-enhancing research"

Research Interests:

• Effects of toxic chemicals, including metals and oilsands process water, on aquatic organisms, principally fish.
• Biotic modifying factors of toxicity.
• Development of methods for environmental effects monitoring.
• Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling of contaminant levels in fish.

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[Waterloo Stories] March 21, 2013 "A river runs through it: Keeping an eye on the Alberta oil sands"

Research Interests:

• Genomics, proteins, antibodies
• Molecular immunology and immunotoxicology in fish populations and the design for better vaccines for aquaculture

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ResearchGate

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Canada Research Chair in Fish and Environmental Immunology [Canada Research Chair Profile]

[UW Science News] June 15, 2018, Waterloo Biologist mentors local teen, the 2018 International BioGENEius Challenge winner

[Waterloo Stories] January 22, 2018 "Vaccines not protecting farmed fish from disease"

[Waterloo Stories] February 13, 2014 "True love makes pacific salmon healthier"

[YouTube] October 9, 2013 "Science Scoop - For the love of fish!"

[Waterloo Stories] September 9, 2013 "Video conferencing connects Waterloo biologist to young students"

Research Interests:

• Mathematical modeling - Stochastic Modeling and Optimization, Markov Decision Processes, Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes, Dynamic Programming, Simulation Models.
• Health Care: Medical Decision Making, Organ Transplantation, Cancer Screening, Health Care Delivery.
• Production Planning: Multicriteria Scheduling

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Research Interests:

• Intelligent drug delivery system design (dermal, transdermal, transmucosal, ocular, and intranasal) for Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Cancer, Immunology (Glaucoma, neural degenerative disorders, HPV, LSIL/CIN I, cervical cancer, Scleroderma)

• Non-invasive drug delivery technologies, biomolecular devices

• Gene therapy, protein, and vaccine development

• Nanomedicine, pharmaceutical development

• Nanotoxicology (nanomaterials, bioimaging, biomarkers)

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ResearchGate

[Global Impact] [CBC] April 30, 2018 "Working with gene therapy to treat glaucoma"

[Waterloo Stories] July 5, 2012 "Revolutionary drug delivery"

Research Interests:

• Regenerative medicine

• Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) structure, function, enzyme processes and the effects on blood pressure, neurotransmission, insulin release, memory storage, immune response, septic shock, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and myocardial and cerebral ischemia.

ResearchGate

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Research interests:

• Imaging, treatment, and prevention of diseases
• Fabrication and characterization of innovative biomaterials for drug delivery systems (nanoparticles, medical devices, biodegradable films, hydrogels, etc.)
• Vaccine development for protection against HIV and other diseases

Google Scholar

[Waterloo News] February 6, 2019 "Researchers find new treatment for Chlamydia"

[Waterloo News] April 16, 2018 "Developing new way to fight transmission of HIV"

Research Interests:

• Methionine chemistry and biochemestry (amino acid methionine and its roles in proteins, cellular pathways and its functions)

• Bionanomaterials, bionanotechnology (for novel drug carriers, molecular foundations for nanodevices)

• Medicinal chemistry

• Enzymology
• Bioorganic chemistry
• Protein structure and function

ResearchGate

[Daily Bulletin] June 1, 2018, 11 CBB Members Named Outstanding Performance Award Winners

Research Interests:

• Robustness of water supply systems, with a focus on treatment
• Facilitating application of newer treatment technologies (e.g. UV disinfection and membranes), including integration into existing facilities
• Identification and removal of trace chemical contaminants (pharmaceuticals & endocrine disrupters)
• Known and emerging pathogens, and their removal/inactivation by treatment processes
• Biodegradation

ResearchGate

NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Water Treatment [NSERC Profile]

[Waterloo Stories] March 14, 2013 "Protecting our drinking water for 20 years"

Research Interests:

• Mathematical modelling in systems biology
• Control theory
• Synthetic biology

ResearchGate

​[Google Scholar]

[CBB researcher story] August 6, 2015 "Decreasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria"

[YouTube Lecture] September 30, 2014 "Model-based design in synthetic biology"

Research Interests:

• Clinical trial design
• Contact lens performance
• Drug delivery
• Ocular biomaterials
• Proteins at interfaces

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ResearchGate

​Google Scholar

University Research Chair

Office of Research - Technology Transfer & Commercialization:

• Long-lasting Eye Drop Delivery Platform for Targeted Ocular Delivery Applications

Research Interests:

• Production of bio-energy (electricity, H2, and CH4) and bio-chemicals from biomass

• Thermodynamic/kinetic analyses on microbial metabolisms in engineered and natural systems

• Microbial ecology in engineered biological systems

• Environmental biotechnology

• Nutrients recovery from organic waste and wastewater

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[Waterloo Stories] March 18, 2014 "Giving people a simple way to test their drinking water"

[Waterloo Stories] May 10, 2013 "Can bacteria create green energy?"

Research Interests:

• Biochemical engineering
• Protein and biomimetic engineering
• Biosensor development
• Bioprocess monitoring and soft sensor development
• Protein thermodynamics stability and analysis
• Environmental bioremediation and green bioprocesses
• Biological water treatment and membrane-based processes
• Spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometric methods for process optimization and the development of on-line sensor technology

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Research Interests:

• Biophysics of lipids and lipid-protein interactions

• The role of structural changes and physical properties of lipid template in controlling biological processes and diseases

• Biomedical nanotechnology (lipid films, molecular mechanism of Alzheimer's disease)

• Drug development and delivery systems, antimicrobial peptides in lung disorders

• Fluorescence and atomic force microscopy

• Kelvin probe force microscopy and single molecule force spectroscopy

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[Global Impact] May 2018, studying Alzheimer's at a molecular level to find a cure

[YouTube Lecture] October 1, 2014 "Scanning probe microscopy in biomedical research"

Research Interests:

• Integrated microsystems for clinical and environmental monitoring

• Combining complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits with novel materials, structures, or devices to enable non-traditional life science and bio-diagnostic applications

• CMOS-integrated biochemical assays

• Semiconductor integrated circuits and sensors, design and test of 3D integrated circuits

• Micro/nano fabrication, lab-on-a-chip devices

• Electrochemical biosensors

• Electrophysiology

• DNA sequencing

• Image sensors

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​Google Scholar

Research Interests:

• Bioinformatics tools (protein structures, genome mapping, conducting homology searches)

• Protein structure prediction, and automated NMR protein structure determination

• Stem cell image recognition

• Deep learning, natural language processing and automated conversation, AI

Google Scholar

Canada Research Chair in Bioinformatics [Canada Research Chair Profile]

The Royal Society of Canada Fellow

[Waterloo Stories] April 5, 2013 "RSVP: Responding to a need"

[Waterloo Stories] July 6, 2012 "Solving life's big issues, one question at a time"

Research Interests:

• Biochemistry and enzymology

• Thermostable Biocatalyst and dehydrogenases (Biofuel/Bioethanol production, pharmaceutical and other industrial processes)

• Enzyme evolution and protein engineering, microbial physiology, molecular biology

• Sulfur reduction and energy metabolism, alcohol metabolism

• Electron transfer and flavoproteins.

• Proteins purification and analysis, metal-containing
• Fermentation
• Hyperthermophiles

Office of Research - Technology Transfer & Commercialization:

• Novel Thermostable Biocatalyst

Research Interests:

• Static mixer and microreactor technology
• Polymer reaction engineering and polymer processing
• Waste minimization and green engineering

• Micro Process Systems Engineering - Design and Operation of Microfluidic reactors for efficient synthesis of biodiesel and complex copolymers.

• Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming and Global Optimization Algorithms.

• Modeling and Optimal Control for Complex Biochemical Reaction Systems.

• Applied Statistics- Modeling, Design of Experiments, Parameter Estimation

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Research Interests:

• Protein structure, functions, evolution (yeast, mammalian cell lines, plant-bacterial)

• Bioinformatics, systematics and protein evolution

• Protein structure and interaction modeling
• Protein expression pattern analysis
• Molecular genetics

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ResearchGate

Google Scholar

Research Interests:

• Proteins: energetics, kinetics, mechanisms, structure, dynamics, folding, function, evolution, engineering and design, thermodynamics, kinetics (ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, prions, cancer)

• High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (fluorescence, CD, NMR, FTIR, DLS)

• Optical spectroscopies

• Bioinformatics and computational modelling

• Biocomputing and protein engineering

• Biophysical chemistry and biochemistry
• Bionanotechnology and biomaterials

​[Waterloo News] November 24, 2015 "New insights into protein structure could change the future of biomedicine"

[​Chemistry News] August 20, 2014 "Chemist Elizabeth Meiering takes on the ALS ice bucket challenge"

Research Interests:

• Biopharmaceuticals (therapeutics, treatment of autoimmune diseases, prevent rejection of organ transplants)

• Industrial biomanufacturing and biotechnology (fermentation, food ingredients, enzymes, biofuels)

• Environmental management (bioremediation of carcinogenic environmental pollutants, filtration, chromatography)

The Royal Society of Canada Fellow

[YouTube Lecture] September 29, 2014 "Biofuels and Waste Treatment"

[YouTube Lecture] September 19, 2013 "Industrial Biotechnology: Current developments and trends"

[UW Eng-e-news] August 14, 2013 "Engineering Life-enhancing research"

[Waterloo Stories] May 3, 2013 "Can bacteria help create a cheaper fuel for our cars?"

[CBB researcher story] December 6, 2012 "Bringing Bioengineering and Biotechnology to its Fullest Potential"

Research Interests:

• Point-of-care diagnostic systems and monitoring (healthcare, wearable technology, sensors and devices)

• Biosensors - Protein sensor for Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and point-of-care medical diagnostics (biomarkers)

• Hybrid and electric vehicles (lithium ion batteries, power management, energy storage, sensors)

• Micro-electromechanical systems/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) for harsh environments (automotive, aerospace, turbomachinery, oil-well/logging, nuclear power, communications)

• MEMS/NEMS, nanomaterials, biosensors, devices, biomanipulators, biosystems, packaging, microassembly

• Micropower generation, microfabrication, self-contained integrated microsystems

ResearchGate

[Waterloo Stories] July 5, 2012 "A tiny machine to predict heart attacks"

[Waterloo Engineering] April, 2015 "Tiny technology to prevent the risk of skipping a beat or worse"

Research Interests:

• Machine learning and reasoning under uncertainty (artificial intelligence, computational statistics, decision and control theory)

• Health informatics (assistive technologies, behaviour recognition, smart walkers, Alzheimer’s monitoring)

• Natural language understanding (dialogue management, semantic analysis)

Google Scholar

[National Post] May 11, 2018, weighs in on how Google's A.I. personal assistant sparks concerns about future of communication

[The Record] May 8,2018, have ties with a new Montreal sports analytics research lab in Kitchener

[Markets Insider] February 5, 2018 "Borealis AI increases brain power by adding top AI talent"

[The Globe and Mail] February 4, 2018 "How we can leverage AI to bridge academia and business"

[Waterloo Stories] April 12, 2013 "Breaking the fall: Smart walker will help prevent injuries"

Research Interests:

• Sea water desalination, hydrogen production for fuel cells, CO2 recovery from fossil fuel power plants

• Membrane processes, catalysis, organic or inorganic nanoparticles

• Porous materials, materials and sol-gel integrative chemistry

• Nanostructures and superlattices

• Sustainable processes

• Microemulsions

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ResearchGate

[YouTube Lecture] September 29, 2014 "Biofuels and Waste Management"

Research Interests:

• Protein and DNA separation analysis towards disease diagnosis and drug discovery

• Biosensing and Devices (bacterial, proteins, fluorescence)

• Living cell analysis and water toxicity testing

• Lab-on-a-Chip technology (point-of-care biomedical diagnosis , chemical detection, protein separation and identification, environmental testing)

• Micro-scale fluid mechanics, droplet microfluidics and nanofluidics

• High Throughput Screening For Drug Screening
• Manufacturing Nanomaterials and Carbon Management

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ResearchGate

​Google Scholar

Canada Research Chair in Lab-on-a-Chip Technology [Canada Research Chair Profile]

[Waterloo Stories] June 14, 2012 "Creating the tiny future of science"

Research Interests

• Early Cancer Detection
• Eliminating Positive Surgical Margins
• Non-contact Biopsies for Endoscopy 
• Functional Brain Imaging 
• Early Detection and Understanding the Age-related Vision Loss Problems
• Wound Care
• Cardiovascular

[Website]

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[Google Scholar]

Alternate Location:

• Satellite Campus, UW-Schlegel Research Institute for Aging, Research Building, Sensors and Devices Lab

Research Interests:

• Bio-wearable electronics and systems
• Bio-electromagnetics, bio-technology, bio-sensors and energy harvesting systems
• RF/microwave/millimeter wave/Terahertz (THz) circuits and antenna systems
• Radio frequency (RF)/microwave packaging and Electromagnetic compatibility 
• (EMC)/Electromagnetic interface (EMI) analyses
• Vehicle and UAV wireless communications, navigation systems, and telematics systems
• Complex propagation and scattering phenomena
• Devices and novel electromagnetic materials and wireless sensors

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Awards:

• Top downloaded paper in Medical Physics (arXiv) – October 2019
• Best Imaging Paper, CVS, 2018
• ACM MobileHCI 2017 Best Worskshop Paper Award
• IEEE APS 2017 SPC Honorable Mention Paper Award
• IEEE Sensors Most Popular Article (March 2017)
• IEEE Sensors Annual Volume Cover Page

[CBB Events] November 15, 2019 "Professor Shaker organizes a Health Canada Regulatory insights Workshop"

[CNN] November 11, 2019 "Scientists develop sensor to save children and pets from hot car deaths"

[Waterloo News] October 29, 2019 "Advancing healthcare through innovative technology"

[Inside Digital Health] June 3, 2019 "Study: Radar Monitors Sleep with Accuracy Comparable to Current Standards"

[Waterloo News]  June 28, 2018 "AI and radar technologies could help diabetics manage their disease"

[Engineering News] June 28, 2018 "Researchers developing a prick-free glucose monitor"

[RD Magazine] June 28, 2018 "AI and Radar Technologies Could Help Diabetics Manage Their Disease" 

[Engineering News] July 5, 2016 "Waterloo wins big with tiny power device"

Research Interests:

• Microalgae
• Microfluidics
• Biophotoreactors
• Biomass conversion
• Heterogeneous catalysis

Research Gate

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Google Scholar

[Engineering News] March 9, 2018 "Finds manure can yield energy and ease global warming"

Research Interests:

• Drug discovery, delivery systems and nanomedicine

• Gene therapy, microbial genetics

• Oncology, Antiviral therapeutics design

• Anti-bacterials

• Acne cosmeceutical design

• Phage-based biotechnology

• Viral exclusion systems

• Cosmeceuticals

• Vaccine design (dementia), bacteriophage-based biotechnology, use of coliphages to design and construct vectors for the development of novel vaccines, pharmaceuticals and gene delivery systems, and the identification and application of novel phage genomic anti-bacterial genes with potential phage therapy applications.

• Strategic management in Pharmacy; healthcare reform

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ResearchGate

Research Interests:

• Calcium channel analysis for target drug delivery for treatment of pain, arrhythmias, angina, and potential benefits in treatment of epilepsy and cancer.

• Structure, function and pharmacology of calcium channels and sodium channels

• Structure and function and analysis of NALCN cation channel  and anti-calcium channel toxins

• The Spafford Neurobiology Research Laboratory studies voltage-gated calcium channels, molecular physiology, biophysics, cell biology, protein biochemistry, fluorescence microscopy and tissue cultures.

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​Google Scholar

[Science News] April 25, 2014 "Waterloo discovers a key regulator in the pacemakers of our brain and heart"

Research Interests:

• Electrophysiological characterization of neuromuscular disorders

• Autonomous and knowledge systems

• Machine perception and sensors

• Image processing and analysis, pattern analysis and recognition

• EMG signal decomposition, simulation and quantitative EMG and DQEMG

• Biomedical engineering

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​Google Scholar

Research interests:

• Environmental biology, industrial biotechnology, and therapeutics
• Production of sustainable chemicals
• Novel bioprocesses for applications in bioresource engineering and biorefining
• Microalgae, metabolic engineering, and ionic liquid based separations in biological systems

Google Scholar

Research Interests:

• Stem cells, nanofabrication and advancement of biomaterials in healthcare technologies to repair, replace or regenerate damaged tissue and organ structures

• Fabrication and application of nano-structure for biomedical applications in neural, vascular, and cornea tissue engineering

• ​Biomaterial approach to study ex-vivo pluripotent stem cell expansion

• Modulation of cell behavior with nanotopography

• Topography-regulation of stem cells lineage commitment and differentiation

• Differentiation of adult and pluripotent stem cells with nanotopography

Google Scholar

Research Interests:

• Bionanomaterials and “soft” interfaces

• Biomimetic adhesion, bio-integrated devices

• Nanoparticles synthesis, functionalization and dispersion, nanocomposites

• Polymers, interfacial phenomena and surface chemistry

• Advanced coating and adhesive bonding technology

Google Scholar

[Waterloo Stories] December 16, 2016 "New Gecko Gripper can be used in manufacturing and medicine"

[YouTube Video] June 11, 2015 "Zebra Mussel-inspired Electrically Conductive Polymer Nanofiber"

[Waterloo Stories] September 16, 2013 "Waterloo researcher is developing nano-glue for electronics"

Office of Research - Technology Transfer & Commercialization:

• Underwater "Superglue"

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