NANOBIOSENSING, NANOMANUFACTURING, NANOMATERIALS LAB
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Principal Investigator 

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Ke Du, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
​Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering 
University of California, Riverside 
350B Bourns Hall of Engineering, Riverside, CA 92521
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Bio: Professor Du is currently a tenure-track assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the University of California, Riverside and leads the Nanobiosensing, Nanomanufacturing, and Nanomaterials (3N) Lab. Before joining UCR in 2022, he was an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Du conducted postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley with Rich A. Mathies and obtained his Ph.D. degree from Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ). 
His group has published papers in journals such as ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Advanced Materials Technologies, Advanced Materials Interfaces, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Infectious Diseases, ACS Omega, ACS Sensors, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Electrophoresis, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Langmuir, Lab on a Chip, Nanotechnology, Optics Express, and Scientific Reports and has been widely covered by popular media including Science Daily, Yahoo Finance, The Science Times, and EurekAlert.
​Du has been recognized as one of the twenty five global rising stars in sensing by ACS Sensors, a special issue celebrating early stage investigators. He has also been the recipient of the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (2021), the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) Collaborative Travel Grant (2019), the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Student Fellowship (2012), James H. Potter Award (2014), and Stevens Innovation & Entrepreneur (IE) Fellowship (2009–2014). He was the only recipient worldwide of the 2017 Biosensors Travel Award and one of only two recipients worldwide of the 2017 Micromachines Travel Award.
Du’s research is supported by NIH, NSF, USDA, DOE, The UNYTE Translational Research Network, and industry partners such as Mammoth Biosciences, L3Harris, Colgate Palmolive, and Biological Mimetics. 
​​​Postdoctoral Scholar 
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​Dr. Can Wang
[email protected] 
​
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
​Marlan and Bourns College of Engineering 
University of California, Riverside 
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Can earn her Ph.D. in Environmental Health from China Medical University in China in 2019. After completing her Ph.D., she joined the Department of Toxicology at Sun Yat-sen University as a postdoctoral researcher, where she focused on environmental pollutant risks on mouse and zebrafish. In 2022, she joined the Center of Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the University of Southern California as a visiting scholar, where she focused on gene-environment interactions and molecular biology. Currently, she is focused on optogenetics in mouse models and investigating the environmental risks associated with nanoparticles using algae models.

Postdoctoral Scholar 

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Dr. Xinye Chen
[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
​University of California, Riverside 
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Xinye obtained his Ph.D. degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2023 and returned to the 3N lab at UC-Riverside as a postdoctoral researcher. He invented the nano-sieve device which has been used for pathogen sensing and cell separation. In his free time, he likes playing basketball and training his golden retriever.

Postdoc Scholar

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Bhaskar Sharma
​[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
UC-Riverside
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 

Bio: Bhaskar earned his doctoral degree from Deakin University, Australia. Throughput his doctoral studies, he pioneered the development of innovative nanocarriers designed for delivering agrochemicals and nutrients to cereal grain crops. Subsquetly, he became a member of Giraldo Lab at the University of California, Riverside, focusing on the "nano-enabled precision delivery of active agents into the plants", where he played a pivotal role in developing biocompatible nano-formulations applied to foliage. Currently, at the 3N lab, Bhaskar's research centers around comprehending nanomaterials and cellular interactions within various biological systems.  
​​Ph.D. Student
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Ruonan Peng
Ph.D. student ​

[email protected]
​
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
​Marlan and Bourns College of Engineering 
​UC-Riverside
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Ruonan completed her B.S. degree and M.S. degree from Wuhan Institute of Technology and the University of Manchester, respectively. Prior to UCR, she worked for Ferring Pharmaceuticals in Beijing, China. Her research at UCR will focus on novel biochemistry assay for the detection of sepsis. 
​​​Ph.D. Student
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​Jacob Waitkus
Ph.D. student ​

[email protected]
​
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
Marlan and Bourns College of Engineering
UC-Riverside 
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 

Bio: Jacob is a 1st-year Ph.D. student at UCR. His research is focused on localized surface plasmonic sensors for biomarkers detection. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing and fishing. 
Ph.D. Student ​​
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Henry Yuqing
Ph.D. student 
[email protected]
Mechanical Engineering
Marlan and Bourns College of Engineering
University of California, Riverside 
359 Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Henry received his M.S. degree in mechanical engineering technology from the Rochester Institute of Technology. His project was using bottom-up approach to grow nanowires for antimicrobial applications. He previously worked with RIT Simone Center and a start-up company called "Intelleplant". He is a second year Ph.D. student in the 3N lab. Henry likes running, 3-D printing, and playing basketball. 
Ph.D. Student 
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​Zhenxuan Yuan
Ph.D. student  
[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
UC-Riverside
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Zhenxuan obtained his B.S. degree from the University of Science and Technology, China, majoring Environmental Science and Engineering. As an undergraduate student in USTC, he worked on label-free optical detection of pathogens in aquatic environments. He was also a visiting student at the University of Illinois in the summer of 2023, working on phosphate recovery on cell surface. 
Ph.D. Student 
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Xiaoqian Jiang
Ph.D. student 

​[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
UC-Riverside 
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: Xiaoqian received both her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Jilin University, majoring in Clinical Medicine. She was also a visiting student at the University of British Columbia in the summer of 2019. Her previous research focused on developing a novel hydrogel to adress the fast rate of infection and slow wound healing process associated with diabetic wounds. 

Ph.D. Student

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Negin Bahadori 
Ph.D. Student
[email protected]
Chemical Engineering 
UC-Riverside
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 
Bio: I Negin will join the 3N lab in the winter of 2025. She recently received her M.S. degree from LA Tech University. She will work on an optofluidic system based on plasmonic tip enhancement. 

M.S. Student

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​Esmeralda Ruiz-Garcia
Ph.D. student

[email protected]
Bioengineering 
​UC-Riverside 
359B Bourns Hall of Engineering 


Bio: Esmeralda is a M.S. student in the 3N lab. She completed her undergraduate study at the California State University San Bernardino and received her B.S. in biology. Her project focuses on the duplex detection of Norovirus. In her spare time, she likes sew, hike, and read.  

M.S. Student 

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Natalie Luu
M.S. Student 
​[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
​UC-Riverside 
Bio: Natalie received her B.S. degree in chemical engineering at the University of California, San Diego. Her current research focuses on using a nanofluidic digital chip to detect ASBVd. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, arts and crafts, and going to the beach. 

REU Student

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Krystelle Borja
NSF REU Student
[email protected] 
Chemical and Environmental Engineering 
​UC-Riverside 

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Bio: Krystelle Borja is an undergraduate sophomore studying Chemical Engineering. With a background in rocket propulsion and experience in data analysis for the US Navy, Krystelle has developed an interest in exploring new technologies and collaborating on innovative projects. In 3N lab, Krystelle will work as an NSF REU student for the synthesis of fluorescent labeled nanoplastics. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature and reading. Krystelle's goals are to earn her bachelor's degree and continue on to a graduate program in a related field.

REU Student

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Jana Hajj-Shehadeh
NSF REU Student
[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering
​UC-Riverside 
Bio: Jana is currently an undergraduate student at the University of California, Riverside currently obtaining her B.S/M.S degree in Chemical Engineering and is part of the class of 2024. In addition to being a part of Dr. Ke Du's  3N Lab, Jana is in University Honors and is currently working on completing her Honors Thesis under the guidance of Dr. Du. After completing her degrees, she plans on attending medical school to become an Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OBGYN). 
Undergraduate Student 

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​​Tyler Ng
Undergraduate student 
[email protected]
Bioengineering 
University of California, Riverside 
Bourns Hall B359 
Bio: Tyler is a 3rd year undergraduate student in the bioengineering department. He plans to pursue a M.S. degree after graduation. In the 3N lab, Tyler is exploring CRISPR and surface enhanced Raman scattering for cancer based detection. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, drawing, and research abstract concepts. 

Undergraduate Student

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Jorge-Lomeli-Prieto
Undergraduate Researcher
[email protected]
Chemical and Environmental Engineering

UC-Riverside 

Bio: My name is Jorge Lomeli, I am currently a 3rd-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate student at The University of California Riverside. In 3N lab, my research is focused on nano-sieve device fabrication. After receiving my bachelor's degree I plan on attending graduate school and obtaining a Phd. The end goal for my career is to work in the petroleum or nanotechnology industry.

Alumni

Dr. Xinye Chen (Ph.D. student), currently a postdoc scholar at UC-Riverside; 

Dr. Jiaxiang Ye, now a professor at Guangxi Medical University;

Dr. Mengdi Bao (Ph.D. student), currently a senior engineer at Seagate Technology;

Dr. Yu Chang (Ph.D. student), currently a postdoc scholar at the University of California, San Diego;

Dr. Li Liu (Ph.D. student), currently a postdoc scholar at the University of Pennsylvania; 


Kenny Hass (MS student), currently an engineer in Invenergy; 2021 RIT Best Thesis Award!

Dr. Qian He, currently a research engineer at Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute;

Jacob Waitkus (M.S. student), currently a Ph.D. student in our group;

Henry Yuqing (M.S. student), currently a Ph.D. student in our group;

Jiacheng He (undergraduate student), currently a design engineer at Lucid; 

​David Saxum (senior design student), currently a research scientist at HRL Labs;

Alex Jiang (undergraduate student), now at Georgia Tech;

Grant Korensky, now at Optimax System Inc. 

Justin Silva (M.S. student), now a manufacturing engineer at Blue Origin;

Chad ten Pas (M.S. student);

Samantha Chan (co-op researcher);

Wimeth Dissanayake (high school student), now an undergraduate student at the University of Rochester;

​Hashir Awan (co-op researcher);

​Xiong-Wen Ke (visiting student)




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