Professor, Stanford University, United States
Juan Gabriel Santiago is a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. His research interests span microfluidic systems, electrokinetics, colloid science, and miniature drug delivery systems. He is a recognized innovator in the development of microfluidic devices and electrokinetic technologies. Santiago has founded and contributed to various startups, including Purigen Biosystems, which commercializes electric-field-based sample extraction systems. He has co-authored over 150 publications and holds multiple patents. Santiago is committed to advancing both scientific discovery and education, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses on fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, and experimental methods.
Profile
Education:
- Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1995), with a thesis on transverse jet flow in supersonic crossflows.
- M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1992).
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Florida (1990), graduating first in his class with High Honors.
Experience:
Juan Gabriel Santiago has held numerous prestigious positions at Stanford University, including Full Professor since 2010 and Vice-Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department since 2020. He has a notable history in academic entrepreneurship, having founded Purigen Biosystems and Cooligy, Inc. As a research scientist at the University of Illinois and the Aerospace Corporation, he conducted groundbreaking work in fluid dynamics and microfluidics. His work includes experimental studies in electrokinetics, colloid science, and advanced fluid mechanics.
Awards and Honors:
- Elected to the National Academy of Inventors (2022)
- Awarded AES Lifetime Achievement Award (2021)
- Named Charles Lee Powell Foundation Professor (2020)
- Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2016)
- Cozzarelli Prize, National Academy of Sciences (2018)
- National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2003)
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2004)
Research Focus:
Santiago’s research primarily revolves around microfluidic systems, electrokinetics, and colloid science, particularly in the context of biological and chemical assays. His work includes the development of advanced experimental methods and microfabrication techniques, focusing on creating innovative solutions for automated sample preparation and miniature drug delivery systems. He also explores transport phenomena, fluid mechanics, and the application of electrokinetics in microchannels and nanochannels, with a strong emphasis on precision diagnostics.
Publication Top Notes:
- A miniature jet pump for slurries (Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025) 💧
- Design and Evaluation of a Robust CRISPR Kinetic Assay for Hot-Spot Genotyping (Analytical Chemistry, 2024) 🧬
- Analytical solutions for viscoelectric effects in electrokinetic nanochannels (Electrophoresis, 2024) 🔬
- A neural network model for rapid prediction of analyte focusing in isotachophoresis (Electrophoresis, 2024) 🤖
- Taylor dispersion in arbitrarily shaped axisymmetric channels (Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 2023) 🌊
- Stream lamination and rapid mixing in a microfluidic jet for X-ray spectroscopy studies (Flow, 2023) ⚡
- A critical review of microfluidic systems for CRISPR assays (Lab on a Chip, 2023) 🧬
- Exposed Interfaces and Fast Mixing in XFEL-Friendly Liquid Sheets (Proceedings of SPIE, 2023) 🔬
- Capacitive Deionization (World Scientific Series, 2022) 💧
- Uncertainty Quantification of Michaelis–Menten Kinetic Rates (Angewandte Chemie, 2022) 🧪