Micro-Nano Systems
Our devices, tools, and solutions are getting smaller.
Micro and nano systems research focuses on the fabrication and integration of nanometer scale structures and devices.
Micro, nano, and molecular-scale systems are at the core of emerging technologies and solutions in health, digital and manufacturing sectors, such as in lab on chip diagnostics, micro-machining, additive manufacturing, solar energy capture, advanced nano-scale materials science and microlectricomechanical systems in razor thin devices.
With groups working on cutting edge nano-materials, microelectronics, microfluidics, and the fascinating effects of changing material properties at the atomic scale, McMaster Engineering is a world leader in the field, with some of the best researchers and institutes.
Related People:
Leyla Soleymani
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Miniaturized Biomedical Devices
Related Faculty
Dr. Marjan Alavi, P.Eng., SMIEEE
Program Lead, M.Eng. Manufacturing Engineering
W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Assistant Professor
W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Associate Member
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Fault Diagnosis; Prognosis; Power Electronics; Fault-tolerant Control
Dr. Christopher Anand
Associate Professor
Department of Computing and Software
Associate Professor
School of Computational Science and Engineering
Associate Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Dr. Nabil Bassim
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Scientific Director, Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM)
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Member
Department of Engineering Physics
Structure-Processing-Property Relationships, Electron Microscopy, Focused Ion Beam Microscopy, Nanomaterials, 2-D materials, Image Processing, Beam-Sample interactions, Structural Materials (Concrete, Metallurgical Alloys), Nanofabrication
Dr. Gianluigi Botton
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Canada Research Chair in Electron Microscopy of Nanoscale Materials (Tier 1)
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
nanostructures; energy materials; battery materials; fuel cells; light-emitting diodes; plasmonics; oxides electronics; corrosion; structure of alloys
Dr. Jonathan Bradley
Assistant Professor and Barber-Gennum Chair in IT
Department of Engineering Physics
silicon photonics, integrated optics, lasers, photonic materials, optical communications, sensors, microphotonic systems
Dr. Charles de Lannoy
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Chemistry
McMaster University
Separation Processes for water, wastewater, mining, and aerosols, electrochemical separations and reactions, polymer nanocomposite materials, membrane technology, active/reactive thin films, environmental catalysis, solutions to surface fouling/biofouling, environmental sensors, co-creating environmental technologies and strategies with First Nations communities
Dr. Jamal Deen
Distinguished University Professor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Distinguished University Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Member
Department of Engineering Physics
Associate Member
Department of Computing and Software
Micro-/Nano-/Opto-Electronics, Nanotechnology and Data Analytics for Health and Environmental Applications, Bioimagers, Biosensor
Dr. Tohid Didar
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Nano-biomaterials
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical devices; Bio-sensing; Microfluidics; Bio-functional Interfaces, Bio-hybrid micro/nano-robots
Prof. Qiyin Fang
Professor and Canada Research Chair in Biophotonics
Department of Engineering Physics
Associate Member
School of Interdisciplinary Science
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
biophotonics, microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy & imaging, intelligent sensing for point-of-care, aging-in-place, & environmental monitoring
Dr. Kathryn Grandfield (Bernar)
Associate Professor, Associate Chair - Graduate
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Canada Research Chair in Microscopy of Biomaterials and Biointerfaces (Tier 2)
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
biomaterials; osseointegration; electron microscopy; mineralized tissues; electron tomography; atom probe tomography
Dr. Drew Higgins
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Electrochemistry; Catalysis; Nanomaterials; Energy Conversion and Storage; Sustainable Energy Technologies; Fuel Cells; Electrosynthesis; Electrolyzers; Batteries; Supercapacitors; In situ/operando materials characterization.
Dr. Todd Hoare
Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
nanotechnology, interfacial engineering, biomaterials engineering, polymer science, pharmaceutical science, drug delivery, tissue engineering, agriculture
Dr. Zeinab Hosseinidoust
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Associate Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Canada Research Chair in Bacteriophage Bioengineering (Tier 2)
Department of Chemical Engineering
Phage-built and phage functionalized material, surfaces, and biointerfaces; In vitro an in vivo phage therapy models; Phage aerosolization; Bioaerosol research for PPE design and airborne transmission
Dr. Matiar Howlader
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Nano-bonding of materials, devices, and components from emerging technology of microelectronics, photonics, micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), bio-MEMS, bio-MOEMS and microfluidics for miniaturized and robust micro- and nano-system for health and environmental applications
Prof. Rafael Kleiman
Department Chair
Department of Engineering Physics
Director, Laboratory for Advanced Photovoltaic Research
McMaster University
solar energy: photovoltaics and solar thermal, concentrator photovoltaics, solar testing and instrumentation, solar materials; silicon, III-V, hyperspectral imaging, device modelling, advanced light trapping, device fabrication
Dr. Andy Knights
Director, CEDT
Department of Engineering Physics
Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
silicon optical circuits; silicon integrated optics
Dr. Gitanjali Kolhatkar
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
neuromorphic materials; piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials; III-V semiconductors; thin film technology; nanostructures; photovoltaics; Raman spectroscopy; structure-function relations in materials; scanning probe microscopy; atomic force microscopy; near-field spectroscopy; memristive devices; strain imaging; smart sensors; artificial synapses
Dr. Ray LaPierre
Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
solar cells (photovoltaics), photodetectors, betavoltaics, thermoelectrics, quantum information processing (quantum computers)
Dr. David Latulippe
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
separation processes for water/wastewater treatment, biopartitioning and purification, microscale processing for high-throughput studies,unit operation modeling and optimization
Dr. Bryan Lee
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
biomaterials, surface characterization, cell-material interface, sustainable development goals
Dr. Ryan Lewis
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
Self-assembly of semiconductor nanostructures, molecular beam epitaxy, III-V semiconductors, III-V on Si, optoelectronic materials and devices
Dr. Peter Mascher
Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
William Sinclair Chair in Optoelectronics
Department of Engineering Physics
Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy; Point Defects in Materials; Thin Film Technology; Silicon Nanostructures; Silicon Photonics; Luminescence; Rare Earth Doping; PECVD; Optical Characterization; Ellipsometry
Dr. Moein Mehrtash, LEL.
Program Chair, B.Tech. Automotive and Vehicle Engineering Technology
W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Assistant Professor
W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Automotive and Vehicle Engineering Technology; Mechatronics
Dr. Matthew Minnick
Associate Undergraduate Chair
Department of Engineering Physics
Assistant Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
MEMS; Robotics; Micromachining; Resonance; Fluid-Structure Interactions; FEM; Automation
Dr. Zahra Motamed
Assistant Professor, Director of Cardiovascular Research Group and Joseph Ip Distinguished Engineering Fellow
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Associate Member
Department of Computing and Software
Associate Member
School of Computational Science and Engineering
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Medical devices, Medical imaging; Diagnostic, Intervention-predictive and intervention-optimization tools
Dr. Dave Novog
Professor and NSERC Industrial Research Chair
Department of Engineering Physics
nuclear safety, reactor physics, thermalhydraulics, multiphysics reactor analysis, nuclear fuel and fuel cycles, severe accident modelling, emergency accident response and mitigation
Dr. Nana Ofori-Opoku
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Materials modelling, microstructure evolution, phase-field methods
Dr. Robert Pelton
Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
polymer colloids, water soluble polymers, interfacial engineering, flocculation, adhesion, cellulose, and pulp and paper technology
Dr. André Phillion
Director, Experiential Learning
Solidification of Engineering metals; Mathematical modelling of materials and Processes; X-ray tomographic imaging; 4D materials science
Dr. John Preston
Research, Innovation and External Relations
Pulsed Laser Deposition, Self-Assembly of Epitaxial Nanostructures, Photovoltaics
Dr. Amin Reza Rajabzadeh, P.Eng.
Associate Professor
W Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Member
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Biochemical Engineering; Biosensors; Separation Processes; CFD
Dr. Oleg Rubel
Associate Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Materials modeling; density functional theory; solar cells; lasers; LEDs; quantum materials; 2D materials
Dr. Kyla Sask
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Associate Member, Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine
McMaster University
biomaterials; surface modification; protein and cell interactions; blood contacting medical devices; polymers
Dr. P. Ravi Selvaganapathy
Distinguished Engineering Professor, Canada Research Chair in Biomicrofluidics (laureate)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Co-Director (Engineering)
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Professor
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
Micro/Nanofabrication; Bioprinting; Biomedical Microdevices; Microelectromechanical Systems; Microfluidics; Medical and Environmental Sensors; Smart Textiles; Biomaterials; Artificial Organs
Dr. Heather Sheardown
Dean
biomaterials, tissue engineering, mathematical modeling of physiologic processes, ophthalmic drug delivery.
Dr. Leyla Soleymani
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Miniaturized Biomedical Devices
Department of Engineering Physics
biosensing, point-of-care diagnostics, lab-on-a-chip, DNA detection, health monitoring, nanofabrication, wrinkling, rapid prototyping
Dr. Ayse Turak
Associate Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
nanoparticle synthesis;perovskites;degradation at interfaces in organic electronics; classification of spatial order for 2D objects; modelling and tailoring of organic thin film morphology; photovoltaics; sensors; water splitting; lasers; surface and interface physics
Dr. Li Xi
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
computing in chemical engineering; polymers; fluid mechanics; rheology; molecular simulation; computational fluid dynamics; process modeling
Dr. Chang-qing Xu
Professor
Department of Engineering Physics
Photonic devices (lasers, optical sensors) and sub-systems for applications such as optical satellite communications, quantum communications, GHG detection, bioinstrumentations, laser display, and bacteria detection.
Dr. Boyang Zhang
Associate Chair (Graduate)
Department of Chemical Engineering
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Tissue engineering, biomaterials engineering, microfluidics, organ-on-a-chip engineering, advanced biofabrication, regenerative medicine, high-throughput drug screening, machine learning, stem cell engineering
Dr. Benzhong (Robin) Zhao
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Associate Member, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science
McMaster University
Climate Change Mitigation; Renewable Energy; Water Security; Energy Storage; Carbon Storage; Multiphase Flow; Porous Media; Electrochemistry
Dr. Igor Zhitomirsky
Distinguished Engineering Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Member
McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering
biomaterials, nanomaterials, energy storage, electrochemical technologies, functional materials
Dr. Shiping Zhu
Professor Emeritus
Department of Chemical Engineering
Distinguished University Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Polymer reaction engineering and materials, polymer synthesis and characterization, polymerization modeling, digitalization of polymerization processes, precision production of polymers, industrial big data, process trouble shooting, smart polymers, polymer biomaterials, polymer microelectronics, surface modification and interfacial engineering
Dr. Hatem Zurob
Professor, Chair
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Microstructural evolution in engineering materials and the effect of microstructure on mechanical properties
March 16, 2022 / Department News
Silicon photonics student researcher awarded international Optica Amplify Scholarship for Black scientists, engineers
Hamidu Mbonde, a PhD student in engineering physics, is one of 15 Black students worldwide that has been awarded the prestigious Optica Amplify Scholarship.
December 8, 2021 / Department News
In the Media: The smart packaging that knows if your food is safe to eat
Tohid Didar, professor of biomedical engineering, discusses how smart bio-markers on food packaging, developed by McMaster researchers, can detect contamination and assist food recalls.
December 8, 2021 / Department News
Researchers create contamination test for dairy products, using technology that can be printed inside containers
Researchers have developed a test to reveal bacterial contamination in dairy products well before they have a chance to reach anyone’s lips.
June 28, 2021 / Department News
NSERC awards 14 McMaster Engineering researchers
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) has awarded 11 McMaster Engineering researchers through its Discovery research program, and three others have been awarded funding through the Research Tools and Instruments grants program (RTI) and Joint Canada-Germany Projects
May 19, 2021 / Department News
Kathryn Grandfield wins prestigious Human Frontier Science Program grant
Kathryn Grandfield, associate professor of biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering, has received a prestigious grant worth more than $1.3 million for research that could lead to better understanding of — and treatments for — illnesses related to bone density.
January 15, 2021 / Department News
Nasal spray delivers antipsychotic drugs straight to the brain, cutting required dose by up to 75 per cent and reducing adverse side effects
A team of neuroscientists and engineers at McMaster University has created a nasal spray to deliver antipsychotic medication directly to the brain instead of having it pass through the body. This work is co-led by Todd Hoare, a Canada Research Chair and professor of chemical engineering.
October 14, 2020 / Department News
Microscopic bone discovery holds promise for implants and bone diseases
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at McMaster University have discovered a structural feature of human bone that has never been studied before under a microscope, bringing scientists closer to advancing bone implants and treatments for bone diseases.
September 30, 2020 / Department News
Drew Higgins recognized for outstanding contributions to nanotechnology research
Drew Higgins, an assistant professor in Chemical Engineering at McMaster University, has received the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) Rising Star Award 2020.
August 12, 2020 / Department News
Making surfaces repellent to bacteria and viruses with Repel Wrap
In Episode 3 of the Big Ideas for a Changing World podcast, Leyla Soleymani and Tohid Didar share the latest on their bacteria and virus repellent plastic wrap and its potential use during the pandemic.
March 7, 2019 / Department News
International Women's Day: Zeinab Hosseini-Doust and Azucena González Gómez
This year, McMaster Engineering is celebrating International Women's Day by honouring nine women who are supporting each other through mentoring relationships.
March 4, 2019 / Department News
15 questions with Heather Sheardown
Chemical Engineering professor Heather Sheardown, who has been elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Biological and Medical Engineers (AIMBE), answers 15 questions in this rapid-fire interview.
November 26, 2018 / Department News
Fresh Faces: Li Xi
In 2013, Li Xi landed his dream job as Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster. In his Fresh Faces spotlight he discusses his upbringing in Suzhou, China, the rewards of connecting with students and decoding experiments on polymer materials.
November 6, 2018 / Department News
Fresh Faces: André Phillion
Welcome to Fresh Faces. In this series, we’re highlighting over 40 engineering faculty members, all hired in the last five years, who are doing interesting and innovative things in the lab and the classroom.
October 24, 2018 / Department News
Researchers design “smart” surfaces, creating promise for safer implants and more accurate diagnostic tests
Researchers at McMaster University have solved a vexing problem by engineering surface coatings that can repel everything, such as bacteria, viruses and living cells, but can be modified to permit beneficial exceptions.
September 13, 2018 / Department News
McMaster engineering professor named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Gianluigi Botton, an engineering professor in the department of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
January 23, 2018 / Department News
Making water testing more affordable
Ravi Selvaganapathy's sensors will be useful to others outside of First Nations communities: hydrologists who need a way to monitor rivers, watersheds and reservoirs, for example, or mining companies that want to monitor the integrity of their tailing ponds.
August 15, 2017 / Department News
Engineering researchers receive $1.9 million in federal funding
Six McMaster researchers have been awarded more than $1.9 million combined for infrastructure funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
June 28, 2017 / Department News
#InsidetheLab: New ideas sprout from nanotechnology
Can innovations in nanotechnology improve plant growth for crop-based farming?