ECE PhD Thesis Defense: Yangruirui Zhou

ECE PhD Thesis Defense: Yangruirui Zhou

Title: Constraint-Driven Microfluidic Design Automation Frameworks for Scalable Biological Networks

Presenter: Yangruirui Zhou

Advisor: Professor Douglas Densmore

Chair: Professor Rabia Yazicigil

Committee: Professor Ayse Coskun, Professor Wenchao Li, Professor Catherine Klapperich.

Google Scholar Link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Zel-iSQAAAAJ&hl=en

Abstract: Microfluidic devices allow precise, programmable control of fluids for biological and chemical workflows, but their design and operation still rely heavily on manual expertise. This dissertation develops computational tools that automate key stages of microfluidic experimentation, making these systems more reliable, scalable, and accessible.

The work introduces methods for verifying whether experimental protocols are compatible with specific device architectures, algorithms for organizing and partitioning large biological networks, and a web-based platform that automatically generates microfluidic layouts from high-level specifications. Together, these approaches reduce design time, prevent execution errors, and support complex biological workflows that would be difficult to construct manually.

These contributions establish a unified framework for constraint-driven microfluidic automation and point toward a future in which high-level biological designs can be rapidly translated into reproducible experimental platforms.

When 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm on 11 December 2025
Building PHO 339