About us
We seek to study Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS) and advanced manufacturing in micro and nano scale. Long-term research aims to investigate the fundamental mechanical and electrical principles of new materials for MEMS/NEMS and advanced manufacturing. Present research efforts focus on the combination of “bottom-up” nanoscale self-assembly of nanomaterials with “top-down” fabrication technologies such as polymer hot embossing and semiconductor micro/nanomanufacturing. Recently new research topics including shrink polymer nanomanufacturing and self-assembly of graphene sensors are initialized. This aims to investigate MEMS/NEMS including micro/nanoscale devices and systems using graphene, nanotubes, nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and shrink polymers for new sensors, actuators, and microfluidics for applications to water and healthcare.
Professor Tianhong Cui
Dr. Tianhong Cui is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota. He is the Director of Technology Integration and Advanced Nano/ Microsystems Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (https://euro-acad.eu). He is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering and an Affiliate Senior Member in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. He joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 2003. From 1995 to 2003, he held research or faculty positions at Tsinghua University, University of Minnesota, National Research Laboratory of Metrology in Japan, and Louisiana Tech University. He is an Adjunct Professor in Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Clinic and a Visiting Professor in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Bath. He is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME). He was a Laureate of Blaise Pascal Chair for Excellence (titled after Blaise Pascal, the famous French scientist) through École Normale Supérieure (ENS Paris) Foundation in France, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering, a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge, and a Global Chair at the University of Bath.
Professor Cui is serving as an Executive Editor-in-Chief for the first engineering journal of Nature, Microsystems & Nanoengineering (www.nature.com/micronano), and an Editor-in-Chief for the first AAAS/Science Partner Journal, Research (spj.science.org/journal/research). He was the founding Executive Editor-in-Chief of another Nature journal, Light: Science & Applications (www.nature.com/lsa). The impact factors of all three journals are among the highest in its categories, which bring impacts of publications in engineering comparable to other Nature/Science journals. He was the founder of all three journals, which provide a new profile and platforms in engineering for international exchanges and collaborations. He is well recognized as an exceptional leader in his research area and beyond due to his outstanding records and tireless service.
He pioneered an innovative approach of combining “top-down” micro-manufacturing with “bottom-up” nano self-assembly of nanomaterials for MEMS. This greatly expands the range of materials and processes available to MEMS manufacturing beyond the conventional material, silicon, and so significantly enhances MEMS performance. He also initialized several polymer micro-nano manufacturing techniques for ultra-sensitive microsensors and microfluidic devices. His graphene biosensor reached a record low detection limit (0.4 fg/mL) of biomarkers with two orders broader sensing range for diagnostics of cancers compared with the existing state-of-the-art. He also developed polymer microfluidic devices for DNA sequencing and sensing. He developed ultrasensitive graphene sensors with shrink polymer for detection of heavy metal ions, nutrients including nitrate and phosphate, and PFAS at sub part per trillion level, between 100 and 1000 times superior in sensitivity to the state-of-the-art and the standards of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
He has provided outstanding leadership to complex engineering projects to address global challenges particularly in water and healthcare. He leads a group of colleagues from the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic working on biosensors for cancer diagnostics, particularly for early diagnostics of prostate cancer and lung cancer for low-income countries. He also works with colleagues from the University of Cambridge and the University of Bath on polymer photonic sensors and portable PCR to detect various cancers and infectious diseases. As the lead of sensors and sensor networks, he undertakes major engineering leadership role in the $160M Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine, the largest inaugural grant in the NSF history, in support to grow a water-focused collective of more than 200 water experts and tens of agencies and companies. The ambitious plan is to create a decarbonized circular “Blue Economy” that leverages the region’s extraordinary water resources for technology innovation and commercialization.
Professor Cui’s research is on Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS) for clean water and healthcare. He is a pioneerto integrate “bottom-up” layer-by-layer nanoscale self-assembly of nanomaterials with “top-down” microfabrication for new sensors, actuators, microfluidics, and lab-on-a-chip. He also initialized new research topics including shrink polymer nanomanufacturing and self-assembly of graphene sensors. He has more than 380 archived publications in journals and conferences and 11 US patents. His research has been sponsored for a total of over $20 million by NSF, NIH, DARPA, NASA, DOE, and industry partners. He received awards including the NEDO and STA Fellowships in Japan (1997, 1998), the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in Germany (2006), the Research Foundation Award from Louisiana Tech University (2002, 2003), the Richard & Barbara Endowed Chair (2003) and the Distinguished McKnight University Professorship (2017) from the University of Minnesota, the Distinguished Visiting Professorships from University of Paris East (2017), the Blaise Pascal Chair for Excellence in France (2018), the Distinguished Visiting Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering in UK (2018), the International Exchange Award from the Royal Society of UK (2017), the Global Chair from the University of Bath in UK (2022), the visiting fellowship from Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge (2023), the visiting professorship from EPFL in Switzerland (2023), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Faculty Fellowship at the University of Tokyo (2023), several Outstanding Editor Awards from Nature and Chinese Academy of Sciences, and numerous Best Paper Awards.