Dino Di Carlo

Dino Di Carlo

PROFESSOR/VICE CHAIR GRADEDUCATION
BIOENGINEERING
MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

BE Department Vice Chair of Graduate Studies

5121E Engineering V

Email: dicarlo@seas.ucla.edu
Phone: (310) 983-3235
Fax: (310) 794-5956

Websites

RESEARCH AND INTERESTS

We are exploiting unique physics, microenvironment control, and the potential for automation associated with miniaturized systems for applications in basic biology, medical diagnostics, and cellular engineering. Current research is focused on:

(i) Quantitative cell biology and mechanics of cancer metastasis. Microfluidic methods to control the surface chemistry, mechanical, and soluble environment are well suited to address questions associated with cell migration and movement. We are particularly interested in the process of cancer metastasis and intravasation.

(ii) Nonlinear microfluidics. Nonlinear fluid dynamic effects are usually not considered in microfluidic systems but may provide simple methods to manipulate and sort rare populations of cells at high-throughputs. We are studying the physical basis of inertial migration of particles and engineering novel portable and robust diagnostic and analysis systems using this phenomenon for applications in the developed and developing world.

(iii) Microfluidic directed cellular evolution. Microfluidic technologies may offer advantages in creating new useful selection criteria for cellular evolution. Besides gaining an understanding of dominant molecular pathways in controlling these behaviors, the resultant evolved cell populations and genetic modifications may be useful for therapeutic applications.

NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS
IN THE NEWS
EDUCATION
  • B.S., University of California, Berkeley, 2002
  • Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, 2006
  • Postdoctoral Training with Professor Mehmet Toner, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Engineering in Medicine, 2006-2008
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
  • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2016
  • Elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), 2016
  • Materials Research Society Outstanding Young Investigator Award, 2016
  • Pioneers of Miniaturization Prize, 2015
  • Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), 2015
  • Analytical Chemistry Young Innovator Award, 2014
  • NSF CAREER Award, 2012
  • ONR Young Investigator Award, 2012
  • Packard Fellow, 2011
  • DARPA Young Faculty Award, 2011
  • NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 2010
  • Coulter Translational Research Award, 2010
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Cancer Society, 2007 – 2009
  • Best Poster Award (for work on large scale single cell analysis in microfluidics), Micro Total Analysis Systems Conference, Boston, 2005
  • Whitaker Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 2002 – 2006
  • MESA Fellow, Sandia National Laboratories, 2002 – 2003
  • Bioengineering Department Citation (one award given annually), 2001
COURSES
  • BE 167L Bioengineering Lab
  • BE 177A Bioengineering Capstone Design I
  • BE 177B Bioengineering Capstone Design II
  • BE 155/255 Fluid-particle Fluid-structure Interactions in Microflows