Unit Members

In 2014, I moved from University of Washington to start my new lab at OIST on micro- and bio-fluidics, and anything squishy! Outside work I enjoy the beach, yoga, and exploring/learning more about Okinawa, a perfect work and living paradise. If you are interested in working with us, feel free to contact me or any unit members.

I completed my Ph.D in Physics in 2002 under the supervision of Dr. Jeff Odell from the University of Bristol (UK) and Prof. Alejandro Muller from Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela). Following postdoctoral research positions first at Bristol, then at MIT with Prof. Gareth McKinley, I obtained a Marie Curie International Research Fellowship which I carried out at the University of Porto (Portugal). I joined OIST as Group Leader for the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics (Shen) Unit in September 2014. Away from the lab, my main activity is road cycling. In Okinawa I’m also keen to take up sea kayaking and scuba diving.

After a career in industry (as an analytical chemist) and teaching (ages 11-18), I completed my PhD in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in 2019 from the University of Central Lancashire (UK) under the guidance of Prof. Sub. Reddy and Dr. Joe Hayes. I then moved to De Montfort University (UK) to complete my first post-doctoral project, under Prof. Nick Tuner, on aptamer-molecularly imprinted nanoparticle hybrids, before moving to the University of Sheffield with Prof. Nick Turner for a second post-doc. My main research is to develop new synthetic recognition materials as alternatives to antibodies. I joined OIST and the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics (Shen Unit) in May 2024, to develop new materials for biosensing and diagnostics. Away from the lab, I enjoy running, cycling, and board sports. I currently have a sponsorship for a UK electric skateboard company to race boards for them, and was rank 3rd Master at the 2023 World Championships (France).

After a biotechnology engineering master in France, I spent two years in Ireland building analytical chemistry skills in the drug discovery field from marine invertebrates. Next, the focus of my PhD at the University of Strathclyde (UK) with Prof. Damion Corrigan was on developing electrochemical-based biosensors to detect antibiotics and antibiotic susceptibility. I then moved to the University of Sheffield in Prof. Nick Turner's group to monitor oral cancer biomarkers using molecularly imprinted polymers and returned to the University of Strathclyde to become more familiar with solid state nanopores, each for 9 months. Research interests at OIST include expanding multidisciplinary knowledge by learning more techniques to complement each other or merge them together, ideally with higher throughput, in the biosensing field. In my free time, I enjoy exploring in various forms such as walking/hiking, running, travelling, cooking or connecting with people.

My academic journey began in Xi'an, China, where I earned a Bachelor's in Energy and Power Engineering from Xi'an Jiaotong University. Later, I relocated to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota under the guidance of Prof. Sungyon Lee. My doctoral research focused on instabilities in confined suspension flows, investigating phenomena such as particle-induced viscous fingering and interfacial particle accumulation experimentally and theoretically. Since 2022, I have been a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics at Northwestern University, working with Prof. Petia Vlahovska. My current work explores the collective dynamics of colloidal particles under electric fields and the emergence of turbulent-like flows in dense active suspensions.I am excited to join the OIST MBN Unit to leverage its renowned expertise in microfluidics and viscoelastic fluids. My goal is to expand my research into the transport phenomena of complex and active fluids within porous media. Outside of work, I enjoy gym training and look forward to trying Okinawa's foods and water sports.

Fresh from the PhD kiln, I am interested in scrutinising viscoelastic and complex fluid flows in complex geometries using a combination of microfluidic experiments and numerical simulations.  I defended my doctoral thesis on viscoelastic flows in November of 2025 in University of Grenoble-Alpes. I have a Master's degree in Material Science through an Erasmus Mundus programme which spanned across Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, University of Turin, and University of Rennes. My Master thesis project was in transport and stability of foams. Before that, I graduated with my bachelor's degree from Azim Premji University in Bangalore, where I defended my honours thesis on interfacial phenomenon in liquid crystal droplets suspended in micellar solutions. Meanwhile, on my time off, I watch films (I've also written/made a few short ones), play games on my PC (which I built), read non-fiction, and go for strolls.

Fascinated by viscous flow phenomena such as separation, wakes, boundary layers, and turbulence, I pursued a Master’s in aerospace engineering at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) specializing in experimental aerodynamics. Given my overall inclination towards fundamental-level investigations of fluid flows (rather than application-driven problems in aeronautical/astronautical flows), non-Newtonian fluid mechanics proved particularly appealing as the most complex extreme of viscous fluid flows with an abundance of unresolved problems. I then pursued a PhD in experimental non-Newtonian fluid mechanics at KTH (Sweden), focusing on time-dependent phenomena, instabilities, transitional flows, and heterogeneities, where I employed a variety of flow diagnostics (PIV (µ/RIM/…), LPT, OCT, LDV, PLI, etc.) and rheometric techniques. Joining the OIST MBN unit—as a post-doc—with its world-class expertise and facilities, gives me the opportunity to utilize a suite of measurement methods (e.g., 3D-Tomo-µPIV and FIB), together with advanced microscopic and glass micro-fabrication techniques to study uncharted regimes in elastic instabilities and elastic/elasto-inertial turbulence (ET/EIT) targetting transitions, intermittency, and receptivity in complex geometries, extensional flows and extension-driven yielding, as well as intermittent yielding of EVPs in porous networks.
When I am not writing in science, I am writing short stories, and the unique nature of Okinawa, together with the unique academic life at OIST provide an ideal setting to explore it further.      

While completing both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Materials Science at ETH Zurich, I became especially interested in bio-inspired materials and biomimetic systems. During my Master's, I had the opportunity to work on a research project studying the dynamics of active colloidal systems, where I was first introduced to the field of active matter, and a second project working with phase-separating giant unilamellar vesicles, a type of cell-mimetic compartment, under osmotic imbalance. I then moved to the University of Bordeaux for my PhD, which I completed in February 2026 under the guidance of Assoc. Prof. Laura Alvarez Frances and Prof. Jean-Christophe Baret. My PhD thesis focused on the fabrication, behaviour and dynamics of cell-mimetic vesicle-based active microswimmers in AC-electric fields. Now, joining the MBN Unit at OIST, I am excited to expand my research to biological systems of symbiotic algal microswimmers, their host-finding behaviour and their response to varying environmental conditions. Outside of the lab, I enjoy hiking and painting, and I also like to spend time knitting with the hope of slowly getting less dependent on fast fashion.

I am originally from Seattle where I received my undergraduate degree in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences from the University of Washington. Although my background is in math I am fascinated with the more tangible sciences. I recently moved to Okinawa from Hawaii and I brought a few ukuleles with me. I have a wide range of artistic and physical hobbies but my favorites are woodcarving, hiking/camping, snorkeling, bicycling, music, chess, traveling and general goofiness. OIST is quite an amazing place and I am grateful to be here.

I received my BSc and MSc degrees at ETH in Zurich studying Computational Science and Engineering, specializing in (computational) chemistry and physics, respectively. After joining OIST remotely in September 2021, my interest in fluid mechanics started to grow as well as my interest in experiments. I am particularly interested in viscoelastic instabilities and elastic turbulence. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking but still have to get used to the weather in Okinawa.

I completed my BEng degree in Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, mainly studying thermal fluid and droplet dynamics. Then I joined OIST remotely as a PhD student in January 2022. Now I am doing my second rotation here and will join this unit for my thesis research from January 2023. My rotation project is about colloidal alignment, a relatively new topic for me. I really enjoy this learning process and exploring many possibilities of my future research topics with all the other fantastic group members. Outside work, I enjoy reading, photography, playing games and exploring the island. Okinawa is such an interesting place that just walking around randomly or simply enjoying the beautiful ocean view can make me very happy. I also want to try various sea sports, but I guess I have to learn how to swim first.

I received my BSc degree in Chemistry and MSc degree in Macromolecular science under the supervision of Prof. Tadashi Inoue from Osaka University in Japan.
I visited Shen unit twice as an intern student (2020 September - December and 2021 July - October). And I got interested in microfluidics during these internships, so I decided to join this unit as a PhD student. My research interests are elastic flow instability and the interaction between flow and geometry. Besides the research, I will enjoy exploring Okinawa and the world.

I completed both my B.Sc and M. Sc in Biotechnology at ITESM in Mexico City, where I focused on studying hydrogel-based extracellular matrixes and cell culture on-a-chip. Following my interest on microfluidics I joined for an internship at Shen Unit where I further developed my scientific interests. After this, I decided to join OIST and after my rotations I joined the unit as a PhD student. My research interests are the study of biophysical properties of biological complex fluids and their response to environmental factors. Outside work I like working out, cooking, watching anime and going to concerts.

I have completed my BSc and MSc in Lomonosov MSU, Russia, in material science department, with my research work mainly focused on liposomal drug delivery systems. During my internship at OIST I was impressed a lot by a versatile research options and international community, and I am really grateful for being here as a graduate student now. My first project in Shen Unit was on the 3D-printed surface imprinted polymers as biosensors for bacteria, and now I’m interested in organ-on-a-chip systems for my PhD project. Besides the research I love exploring this beautiful tropical island and gorgeous Japan, as well as enjoying TV shows, movies, embroidery and well written books in English and Russian.

I am Spanish-Mexican, but I lived all my life in the Netherlands while following French education from elementary to high school (simple as that!). I have a BSc and MSc in Molecular Life Sciences from Wageningen University & Research, where I specialized in Physical Chemistry. I have previously worked on nanoparticle-based delivery systems for transient gene transfection in plant cells. I have first joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics (Shen) unit for a rotation, where I helped in the chemical characterization of biological complex fluids. For my PhD at Shen unit, I will focus on developing novel polymer-based recognition materials for biosensing applications. Outside of research, you can find me drawing, going snorkeling, or compulsively buying too many plants.

I am from Tottori, Japan and got my BSc in biology in the University of Tokyo. I developed an molecular detecting system using solid-state nanopore as my undergraduate research. I am interested in laboratory automation systems for biological experiments and want to use microfluidic devices for them in my PhD. Outside of work, I like to explore Yambaru to see the grate Okinawa nature.

I completed my Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2025. Through my various research experiences, I have developed an interest in biomarkers and biosensing and am excited to broaden my knowledge during my time here! In my free time, I enjoy playing games, being crafty, taking walks, and collecting cute items.

I’m from Tokyo, Japan and undergraduate student in Keio University where I study medicine as OIST-Keio Research Internship. My research project is to develop a method to detect pathogens using MIPs. That work is very interesting for me because it has something to do with my background. In free time in Okinawa, I drive to a lot of places to swim in the beach, watch beautiful spot and eat local foods. I enjoy life in Okinawa.

I am a second-year bachelor's student in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the University of Cagliari, Italy. During my studies I developed an interest in the development of novel biotherapeutics. I decided to join the Micro / Bio / Nanofluidics Unit as an intern here at OIST in order to explore a different perspective of biotechnology. Indeed, my internship revolves around the study and characterisation of hydrogels applied to 3D bioprinting. Furthermore, this opportunity allows me to explore the beautiful island of Okinawa. Outside the lab, I enjoy hiking, working out and, of course, travelling to new countries.

I received my BSc and MSc degrees in Applied Chemical Engineering from Kyungpook National University in South Korea. During my MSc, my research focused on crystallization in microfluidic systems, which developed my interest in microfluidics and transport phenomena. I joined OIST as a PhD student in September 2026, and my rotation project in the Shen Unit will focus on instabilities in the flow of living and biomimetic fluids. Through this project, I am looking forward to exploring active fluids and complex flow systems. Outside of research, I enjoy skiing, swimming, and traveling.

I am originally from the heart of Tokyo, and I got my bachelor’s in sociology in Canada. I am super grateful to work under Prof. Amy Shen and be part of such a diverse unit. Outside work, I love dancing classical ballet, working out, Pilates, scuba diving etc!