From Industry to Innovation: My Journey in Microfluidics and Microplastics Research

By Laleh, PhD student at UNSW working under the supervision of A/prof Robert Nordon and Dr Firoozeh Babayekhorasani as part of an ARC Linkage Grant in collaboration with Genesys Electronics Design.

At Genesys, we’re proud to celebrate the achievements of innovators who are pushing the

boundaries of technology and research.

Laleh, a PhD student at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), recently won the Best

Poster Award at the Symposium on Microplastics in the Environment and Water and shared

her inspiring story below.

Before starting my PhD, I worked as a Senior Process Engineer in the industry for more than 10 years. That experience provided a strong foundation in applied science, but I was driven by a desire to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world solutions. Motivated by this goal, I began my PhD at UNSW, supported by a tuition fee and stipend scholarship, allowing me to explore cutting-edge technologies with broader societal impact.

My research focuses on the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a dielectrophoretic device, a hybrid system combining microfluidic channels and electrode chips to separate various types of particles. One of the key achievements of this project is the device’s ability to effectively separate microplastics from water, offering a novel and highly sensitive approach to microplastic detection in environmental monitoring. This breakthrough formed the basis of the Best Poster Award at the Symposium on Microplastics in the Environment and Water, held at the National University of Singapore.

Currently, I’m extending this technology to the biomedical field, working on the isolation of white blood cells and red blood cells from whole blood using dielectrophoresis-based microfluidic devices. This work has the potential to revolutionise immunotherapy and diagnostics, particularly in the detection and treatment of diseases and cancer. It’s an exciting frontier, and I’m proud to contribute to it.

A key part of this journey has been my collaboration with Genesys. Their support, especially in terms of expert guidance and technical resources, has been instrumental in refining my device and accelerating my research. Working with Genesys has not only strengthened the engineering aspects of my project but also provided valuable insight into how academic research can align with industry needs. I’m excited about the future and hopeful that my work will make a meaningful impact on healthcare innovation and environmental sustainability.

About this collaboration

Genesys Electronics Design partners with innovators like Laleh to bring research ideas to life through electronics design, prototyping, and smart device development.

To learn more about our partnerships with academia and industry, contact us or visit our Projects page.