Four Engineers Win PoP Grants to Further Commercialization of Innovations 

Aug. 7, 2024 - Four engineering faculty have been awarded spring 2024 Proof of Product grants from UCI  Beall Applied Innovation. 

PoP grants help accelerate the pathway to market for promising UCI discoveries. Researchers are awarded up to $100,000 to perform activities that enable pivotal phases of development including customer discovery efforts, feasibility studies, prototype development and more. 

Timothy Downing, associate professor of biomedical engineering, is working to develop molecular tools that target cell adhesions for the generation of aneuploidy-free induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Abraham Lee, professor of biomedical engineering, is developing a droplet-based microfluidic platform (ADOPT) that enables three-dimensional isotropic imaging of live single cell suspensions through droplet micro-vortices. Single cell morphology reflects the state of the cell indicating its viability and level of activation. By taking a snapshot of hundreds of white blood cells and looking for patterns of their 3D images, in time, one can produce a baseline of one’s immune and physiological status that can be used for more precise diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Vojislav Stamenkovic, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, received support for his efforts to develop high-power density electrochemical energy conversion devices.

Yoonjin Won, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is developing technology that integrates metrology and AI for chip packaging and operation. This innovation aims to autonomously identify chip defects and predict their lifetime using limited metadata with the goal of improving the yield rates, lifespan and reducing material waste. With this work, Won hopes to enhance sustainability in the future of semiconductors.

– Lori Brandt