Born and raised in the eastern-most suburbs of LA county, Andre first started engineering microfluidic systems under the direction of Professor Aaron Streets at UC Berkeley, where he completed a Bachelor’s in bioengineering. He is now pursuing a PhD with the UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, working in the lab of Professor Lydia Sohn, where his current projects focus on the design and development of new microfluidic platforms for single-cell mechanical phenotyping. The importance of cell biomechanics has garnered considerable attention as studies show the relevance of mechanical phenotypes in cell function, fate and disease. Consequently, it is necessary to have efficient, high-throughput systems capable of quantifying cellular biomechanics. Andre hopes to bring forth new label-free microfluidic platforms that could perform just that in order to create new tools for cancer diagnostics. Outside the lab, Andre loves to explore east bay on his bike, casually plays the piano, and enjoys dabbling in the kitchen.
Andre Lai
