Our research focuses on exploring bio-inspired photonic microsystems, nanomaterials, scale-dependent biophysics, and nanofabrication technology, towards developing new diagnostic devices and methods on probing complex cellular processes and biological networks critical to development and diseases. Both multi-scale experimental and theoretical approaches are combined to investigate fundamental force, flow and energy processes at the interface of engineering and biomedicine.

Translational biomedical engineering plays an important role in assimilating the advancement of device engineering towards developing innovative diagnosis, treatment and prevention of important human diseases at genetic, molecular and cellular levels. The micro-nanoscale tools for cell manipulation, dynamic culturing and in vivo microscopy contribute to the continuity of investigations across the biological hierarchy of multiple scales, culminating in the understanding of whole body functions in health and disease. Nano-Micro, Info, and Bio are integrative components of our research, in which engineering expertise in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) design and nanotechnologies, photonics, microfluidics and informatics is synergized to facilitate precision medicine and point-of-care (POC) diagnostics for global health initiatives, and to obtain a better understanding of the fundamental problems in life science. This in turn benefits the advancement of engineering research.