Unit Members

Amy Shen
In 2014, I moved from University of Washington to start my new lab at OIST on micro- and bio-fluidics, and anything squishy! Outside work I enjoy the beach, yoga, and exploring/learning more about Okinawa, a perfect work and living paradise. If you are interested in working with us, feel free to contact me or any unit members.

Simon Haward
I completed my Ph.D in Physics in 2002 under the supervision of Dr. Jeff Odell from the University of Bristol (UK) and Prof. Alejandro Muller from Simon Bolivar University (Venezuela). Following postdoctoral research positions first at Bristol, then at MIT with Prof. Gareth McKinley, I obtained a Marie Curie International Research Fellowship which I carried out at the University of Porto (Portugal). I joined OIST as Group Leader for the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics (Shen) Unit in September 2014. Away from the lab, my main activity is road cycling. In Okinawa I’m also keen to take up sea kayaking and scuba diving.

Stylianos Varchanis
I completed my PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. John Tsamopoulos and Yannis Dimakopoulos from the University of Patras (Greece). My research was focused on the dynamic analysis of elastic and interfacial instabilities in flows of complex fluids, such as polymer solutions and melts, gels, suspensions, soft media, and biological fluids. During that time, I also worked on the development of a finite element technique (PEGAFEM-V) for the simulation of 3-dimensional non-Newtonian flows with multiple free surfaces, and the derivation of constitutive laws for thixotropic elasto-visco-plastic materials. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics unit in 2021 as a postdoc to combine my theoretical background with novel microfluidic experiments, aiming at a deeper understanding of the rheological response of complex fluids. Away from the lab, I enjoy travelling around the world, recreational sailing, camping, and cooking.

Daniel Carlson
I earned my Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts under the guidance of Prof. Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi. My work there centered on studying fluid-structure interactions (FSI) of multiple-degree of freedom systems for applications in the offshore wind energy sector. Topics included vortex-surface alignment for flexibly-mounted prisms, suppression of vortex-induced vibrations, and biomimetic ultrasound generation via flow-induced oscillations. During this time I also had the opportunity to collaborate with NASA Langley to investigate potential uses of their contactless SANSEC sensor technology. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics unit as a postdoc in May 2019 and look forward to applying my FSI background to more exotic flexible and biological structures in complex flow! While at Okinawa I want to improve my drawing, pick up some languages, and get into open water swimming.

Vincenzo Calabrese
After completion of my MSc in Food Technology at Wageningen University (NL), I moved to the University of Bath (UK) to pursue my PhD in Chemistry. The project led by Prof. Karen Edler and Prof. Janet Scott focused on the characterisation of the structural-property relationship of colloidal cellulose nanofibrils in bulk and across liquid-liquid interfaces. I also performed scattering techniques (X-rays and Neutrons) and (non)linear rheology to yield structural information of the colloidal state. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics unit as a postdoc in January 2020 to link rheological behaviour and structural properties of complex fluids in microfluidics. Besides lab-related activities, I enjoy playing guitar, cycling, open water swimming, and exploring the tropical island.

Tatiana Porto Dos Santos

I completed my Ph.D in Food Engineering in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rosiane Lopes Cunha from the University of Campinas (Brazil) in collaboration with Prof. Patrick Tabeling from ESPCI Paris (France). My Ph.D. research was focused on the development of an emulsion stability analyzer based on microfluidics. Earlier in my MSc, I studied the digestibility of colloidal gel-like systems and built a semi(dynamic) digestive prototype. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit as a postdoctoral researcher in September 2021 to apply my current background in rheology, microfluidics and gelled systems in the development of new food structures. Outside the lab, I enjoy travelling and can’t wait to explore Okinawa.

Ricardo Arturo Lopez de la Cruz

I am originally from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In 2014 I finished my bachelor's in Engineering Physics at ITESM in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2015 I moved to The Netherlands to do a 2 years masters supervised by Prof. Devaraj van der Meer at the Physics of Fluids group from the University of Twente. During that time, we worked on shear-thickening suspensions. In 2017 I started my Ph.D. under the supervision of Prof. Detlef Lohse and Prof. Xuehua Zhang. My research projects included the Marangoni instability of evaporating binary and ternary mixtures, the ouzo effect, and the dissolution of droplets. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit as a postdoc in March 2022 to study the behavior of complex fluids and their interaction with different kinds of solid structures within microfluidic devices. Outside the lab I like to do bouldering and running. While in OIST I would like to explore Okinawa and get to know more about Japanese culture.

Benjamin Heidt

I completed my Ph.D. in Biosensing under the supervision of Dr. Bart van Grinsven and Prof. Thomas Cleij at Maastricht University in January 2022. My work focuses on 3D printing and biosensing with/of/around microorganisms. In my research regarding 3D printing, I specialized in creating microstructures and microfluidic channels via SLA and mSLA 3D printers, as well as creating a novel method coined Topographical Vacuum Sealing, which combines 3D printing and vacuum forming to decrease the channel size of 3D-printed microfluidic structures. My research regarding biosensing revolves around Point-of-Care diagnostics, especially their use for resource limited settings. Here I use several detection techniques from optical and electrochemical readout methods to more niche applications such as detection via thermal resistance. I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics unit as a postdoc in April 2022 to continue my research on microfluidic biosensor integration. Next to this I am the founder of Flui.Go Science, a startup that produces microfluidic building blocks to teach the next generation about science.

Eliane Younes

I completed a double-degree program, earning a MSc in Mechanical Engineering from Lebanese University and a MSc in Energy from École Centrale de Nantes. In 2017, I joined the Laboratoire de Thermique et Energie de Nantes (LTeN, France) and obtained my PhD from Nantes University in 2020. Then, I worked as a teaching and research assistant at Polytech' Nantes. In December 2021, I joined IMT Nord Europe as a postdoctoral researcher and in March 2023 I joined the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics unit as a postdoctoral researcher. My research focuses on the experimental characterization of complex fluids and flows. During my PhD, I worked on chaotic mixing of yield stress fluids. During my postdoc at IMT, I studied the transition to turbulence in an airflow channel equipped with a vortex generator and now I am working on shear and extensional flows of viscoelastic fluid. During my time at OIST, I look forward to discovering Okinawa and other regions of Japan.

Kazumi Toda-Peters
I am originally from Seattle where I received my undergraduate degree in Applied and Computational Mathematical Sciences from the University of Washington. Although my background is in math I am fascinated with the more tangible sciences. I recently moved to Okinawa from Hawaii and I brought a few ukuleles with me. I have a wide range of artistic and physical hobbies but my favorites are woodcarving, hiking/camping, snorkeling, bicycling, music, chess, traveling and general goofiness. OIST is quite an amazing place and I am grateful to be here.

Jonas Schneider

German, engineer and German Engineer (TM). The meme is true – I really learned about basically everything in university. From physics and chemistry all the way to economics and law. Finished my Diplomingenieur in Kaiserslautern in 2019, spent almost two years unemployed due to the covid scare and Japanese border policies, then started at OIST in 2021.
At the moment, I‘m working on microarrays as part of my third rotation, and by September 2022, I‘ll join the unit for my thesis work.
Most of my free time is spent reading (everything from Philosophy to Manga), working in the kitchen or training martial arts. Once I've acclimatized to Okinawa, I'll probably do a lot of hiking, too.

Jiangming Wu

I completed my BEng degree in Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, mainly studying thermal fluid and droplet dynamics. Then I joined OIST remotely as a PhD student in January 2022. Now I am doing my second rotation here and will join this unit for my thesis research from January 2023. My rotation project is about colloidal alignment, a relatively new topic for me. I really enjoy this learning process and exploring many possibilities of my future research topics with all the other fantastic group members. Outside work, I enjoy reading, photography, playing games and exploring the island. Okinawa is such an interesting place that just walking around randomly or simply enjoying the beautiful ocean view can make me very happy. I also want to try various sea sports, but I guess I have to learn how to swim first.

Fabian Hillebrand

I received my BSc and MSc degrees at ETH in Zurich studying Computational Science and Engineering, specializing in (computational) chemistry and physics, respectively. After joining OIST remotely in September 2021, my interest in fluid mechanics started to grow as well as my interest in experiments. I am particularly interested in viscoelastic instabilities and elastic turbulence. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking but still have to get used to the weather in Okinawa.

Arisa Yokokoji

I received my BSc degree in Chemistry and MSc degree in Macromolecular science under the supervision of Prof. Tadashi Inoue from Osaka University in Japan.
I visited Shen unit twice as an intern student (2020 September - December and 2021 July - October). And I got interested in microfluidics during these internships, so I decided to join this unit as a PhD student. My research interests are elastic flow instability and the interaction between flow and geometry. Besides the research, I will enjoy exploring Okinawa and the world.

Kohei Abe

In 2022, I completed my Ph. D degree in Engineering at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology under supervision of Prof. Susumu Inasawa. After that I belonged to the same university as a postdoc researcher for one year, including 8-month visiting in Nottingham Trent University (UK) hosted by Prof. Lucas Goehring. In April 2023, I joined Micro/Bio/Nanofluidic Unit in OIST as a research fellow. I have been working on drying kinetics of suspension or emulsion, which is accompanied by alignment, compression and deformation of particles or droplets. In this unit, I intend to work on new project relating to unstable flow or rheology as well as develop my original research area. I believe that my staying in OIST is a great opportunity for me to realize it. I was born in Hokkaido, the north island in Japan, and was originally brought up there for 19 years. I could not have imagined that I went across from north to south in Japan. I am looking forward to visiting a lot of good places in Okinawa!

Yuno Kaneshi
I was born and grew up in this sub-tropical island. I support the unit members with administrative works and enjoy working with this very interesting group at OIST. Besides work, I like dancing and traveling. I am also interested in languages.