A Thousand and One Things [Growing] in the Maharbiz Lab

Professor Michel Maharbiz, Assistant Professor, EECS Dept., University of Michigan

ABSTRACT:
I'll talk about devices for controlling the microenvironment of developing cells (and why that matters); biomimetic surface tension-driven actuation inspired by ferns and how this led us to novel concepts in power generation (and tons of odd popular press coverage); and how we're planning to make cyborg beetles (and hiring postdocs and research scientists).

BIO:
Michel M. Maharbiz is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the Biomedical Engineering Department and the Chemical Engineering Department. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley for his work on microbioreactor systems (which led to the foundation of a bioinstrumentation company – www.microreactor.com). Professor Roger T. Howe (EECS) and Professor Jay D. Keasling (ChemE) were his thesis advisors. Dr. Maharbiz has been a GE Scholar and an Intel IMAP Fellow. Professor Maharbiz’s current research interests include micro/nanosystems for cell culture and biology, parallel assembly processes and bio-derived fabrication methods. His group is currently focused on micro/nanosystems designed to pattern and control diffusible microgradients during cell and embryo development. His group’s long-term goal is understanding developmental mechanisms as a way to engineer and fabricate machines.