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Jin Li   BEng MIET PhD

Dr Jin Li

(he/him)

BEng MIET PhD

Lecturer in soft matter and microfluidic engineering

School of Engineering

Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

I am an early career researcher with a passionate research interest in the science and applications of microfluidics and soft matter. My research focuses on the fundamental of droplet microfluidics, and my expertise is to precise control chemical reactions and biological processes within complex emulsions. I work in multidisciplinary research with both numerical modelling and practical experiment and have a broad research tracking record in energy production (inertial fusion energy target fabrication), cells (brain organoid and tumour spheroid), nano- and micro-engineering (integrated multi-material microfluidic device design and fabrication), biophysics (lipid bilayer membranes; mechanosensitive protein pore reconstitution and gating), and engineering biology (bottom-up artificial cell creation), which all centralise around droplet materials and soft matter. I plan to develop a whole new field in the realm of precision engineered, biomimetic “Living Machine”, built upon active matter. This will give rise to a plethora of applications, of societal, environmental, and sustainable benefits, in diverse industries including, critically, new material, medicine, soft robot, agriculture, energy and A.I. development. My mid-term career goal is to establish an international research centre on “Microfluidics, microrobots and autonomous systems”, and undertake an international ambassadorial role based in the U.K., to build new links with Chinese and American universities for scientific exchange, joint grant and other scientific fora.

I serve as:

Director of Applied Microfluidic Laboratory;

Director of Complex Nanofluid Engineering group at Cardiff University;

I am a key consortium member of the EU-Horizon 2020 project, entitled "Artificial Cells with Distributed Cores (ACDC)" and the EIC project, entitled "Bio-Hybrid Hierarchical Organoid-Synthetic Tissues (BiohHOST)" under EU flagship research programme - "Engineered Living Materials".

Current team members:

Dr. Hongdi Wang (Reseach fellow)

Mr. Liyan Chen (PhD candidate)

Mr. Gabriel McFarlane (Research assistant)

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2018

2017

2016

2014

Articles

Conferences

Thesis

Research

Research contracts:

Title  Role Sponsor  Value Duration
Portable Fluidic Pumps  PI Cardiff School of Engineering

£6,325

2024
Nano-Droplet Robots PI Cardiff University

£2,680

2024
Engineering Biology Mission Awards project, entitled "Agriculture Living Machine of Operatable Nano-Droplets (ALMOND)"

Co-PI

Deputy

BBSRC

£490,900

(Total volume £1.5M)

2024-2026
Bio-HhOST: Next Generation 3D Tissue Models: Bio-Hybrid Hierarchical Organoid-Synthetic Tissues (Bio-HhOST) Comprised of Live and Artificial Cells PI European Innovation Council (underwrite by Innovate UK)

£466,313

(Total volume €3.2M)

2024-2027
Microfluidic Perfusion Device for Organoids PI EPSRC £48,524 2024
Biocompatible 3D printed vasculature for bioprinted tissues Co-I BBSRC £49,996 2024
Precision microgel materials for engineering biology  PI Wales Innovation Network £10,000 2023 
Precision microfabrication (BMF S230) PI EPSRC £321,613 2023-2024
Complex Nanofluid Engineering Co-PI Cardiff School of Engineering  £12,000 2023-2024
Robot-assisted synthetic cell and tissue engineering PI Cardiff School of Engineering £6, 625 2023

 

Teaching

EN0019 Introduction to Calculus

EN0021 Engineering Applications

EN1215/EN1216/EN2178 Electrical and Electronic Engineering

EN4100 Year 4 Group Project

Biography

Education

  • PhD (2012~2015), School of Engineering, Cardiff University, U.K.
  • BEng (First, 2010~2012), School of Engineering, Cardiff Univeristy, U.K.
  • BEng (Hons, 2008~2012), North China Electrical Power University (Beijing), China

Work Experience

  • 2023 - now, Lecturer in soft matter and microfluidic engineering, Cardiff School of Engineering, Cardiff University.
  • 2019 - 2022, Reseacher co-investigator of EU-H2020 project, entitled with “Artificial Cells with DistributedCores (PN 824060)”. Funded by European Research Council (ERC). Cardiff University. Duties of my role: Research on internal organisations and communications of artificial cell compartments.
  • 2018 - 2019, PDRA, project: “Exosomes characterization in fluidic environment”. Funded by Medical Research Council (MRC). King’s College London. Duties of my role: Design and fabrication of optofluidic devices for cells and exosomes imaging.
  • 2017 - 2018, PDRA, project: “Development of new microfluidic techniques for the production of artificial cells”. Funded by Medical Research Council (MRC). Cardiff University. Duties of my role: Design and fabrication of 3D printed fluidic devices for the creation of artificial cell chassis.
  • 2015 - 2017, Reseacher co-investigator of NRN project (PN097), entitled with “Laser and microfluidic manufacture of novel bio-diagnostic platforms”. Funded by National Research Network Wales. Cardiff University. Duties of my role: Generation of microcapsules with definable architectures for biological applications using multiphase microfluidics.

Honours and awards

  • “Young Scientist Award Finalist” with certificate, by Microsystems & Nanoengineering (Springer Nature) Young Scientist Award Summit 2022.

Professional memberships

Member of Biochemical Society

Member of EPSRC Peer Review College

Member of European Synthetic Cell Initiative

Member of The Institution of Engineering and Technology

Member of Cardiff Synthetic Biology Initiative

Member of Cardiff School of Engineering EDI committee

Committe Member of Cardiff Science Festival

Speaking engagements

·       Invited talk, “3D printing fabrication of microfluidic devices and their applications in synthetic biology”, Newcastle University, invited by Prof. Jichun Li, Newcastle, UK, 21, July, 2024.

·       Invited talk, “3D printing fabrication of microfluidic devices and their applications in synthetic biology”, Forum of Intelligence Manufacturing, Zhejiang Normal University, invited by Prof. Yigang Shen, Jinhua, Zhejiang China, 21, June, 2024.

·       Invited workshop, “Artificial Cells and 3D-printed Microfluidics”, BBSRC International Partnership - Residential Microfluidics Workshop (Organ-on-a-chip), Chepstow, 28-29, May 2024.

·       Invited talk, “3D-Printed Microfluidics for Artificial Cell Creation”, STJU Trans-med Awards Research, invited by Prof. Hongjing Dou, at SJTU, Shanghai, 8th April, 2024. https://news.sjtu.edu.cn/xsjz/20240402/195532.html

·       Invited workshop, “Soft matter and microfluidic engineering” Sound Chemistry, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Glasgow, 7-8 March 2024

·       Invited talk, “Building hybrid materials with artificial cells and living cells using droplet microfluidics” at GW4-Innovations in brain tissue engineering, Bristol, 20-21, November, 2023.

·       Invited talk, “Droplet microfluidics: an emerging technology to bridge tissue engineering and synthetic biology” at CITER annual scientific meeting, 2022.

·       Invited talk, “3D printing technologies and microfluidics for the generation of microspheres”, Li J, Royal Academic of Engineering- Young Researchers’ Futures’ Meeting, Edinburgh, U.K. 2018.

Committees and reviewing

Reviewer of Nature Chemical Biology

Reviewer of Advanced Materials

Reviewer of Advanced Materials Technologies

Reviewer of Scietific Reports 

Reviewer of Journal of Fusion Energy

Reviewer of Chemical Engineering Science 

Reviewer of Biomicrofluidics

Supervisions

I am available to supervise postgraduate research students in following areas:

  • Microfluidics
  • Complex emulsions
  • Bottom-up synthetic biology
  • Soft condensed matter
  • Soft technology
  • Cell encapsulation
  • Micro-/nanoengineering

Past projects

Lab Alumni:

Dr. Pantelitsa Dimitriou (PhD supervision)

Dr. Francisco Munguia Galeano (Research Assisstant)

Miss Aleksandra Spasova (Paid intern)

Dr. Yigang Shen (Visiting academic)

Dr. David Regan (PDRA)

Mr. Gabriel McFarlane (Paid Intern)

Contact Details

Email LiJ40@cardiff.ac.uk

Campuses Queen's Buildings - South Building, Room S/0.46, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA

Research themes

Specialisms

  • Microfluidics and nanofluidics
  • Synthetic biology
  • Complex emulsions
  • 3D-printing
  • COMSOL