Fall 2026 Seminar Series
Seminars are Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m. in the Larrañaga Engineering Auditorium, Centennial Engineering Center unless otherwise noted, and are sponsored by CBE, BME, and NSME. Topical seminars are scheduled throughout the semester and can be used for seminar credit.
2026
September 2, 2026
Acoustofluidic Trapping of Particles for Improved Separation
Ruben Trujillo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Chemical & Biological Engineering, UNM
4:00 p.m., Larrañaga Engineering Auditorium
Abstract: Separation of micro- and nano-sized particles is necessary for a wide range of processes including water purification and biological sample preparation. However, current separation techniques such as ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and ultracentrifugation generally require high pressures, membrane replacement, high energy input, and can be limited to batch processes. There is a growing need for scalable isolation technologies that enable efficient, label-free isolation of micro- to nano-scale particles from complex media. Acoustophoresis is a technique that applies an acoustic wave via mechanical vibration to a fluid under laminar flow, creating pressure gradients that directly manipulate particles flowing in media. In the Graves Lab, we leverage acoustophoretic systems to not only manipulate particle flow, but to additionally trap and isolate these particles from solution. In our most recent work, we demonstrated the successful trapping of particles (>90% removal) in a novel acoustofluidic device using a stainless-steel wire placed in the center of a cylindrical capillary. Future work will continue to expand on this foundational study, and improve upon acoustofluidic devices for the capturing of nanoparticles.
Bio: Ruben Trujillo received a B.S. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from The University of New Mexico in 2019. Ruben completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University in 2024 where he studied polymer microgel systems for osteoarthritis treatment under Dr. David Putnam. Ruben is now a postdoc in Dr. Steven Graves’ lab in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department at UNM, working on microfluidic systems and separating particles using acoustic waves. Throughout his academic career, Ruben was named an NSF-GRFP Fellow, a Cornell Engineering Commercialization Fellow, and is now an ASERT-IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow. Additionally, Ruben has participated in and received entrepreneurial funding through the NSF Innovation Corps program, the Cornell Ignite Acceleration program, and the UNM Rainforest Pitch Deck competition.
Computational and Experimental Study of Turn-On Luminescence of Amyloid- Targeting Oligomeric p-Phenylene Ethynylenes
Benjamin Fetrow, NSME PhD student, advised by Eva Chi
4:00 p.m., Larrañaga Engineering Auditorium
Abstract: The interaction between oligomeric p-phenylene ethynylenes (OPE) and amyloid beta oligomers involved in Alzheimer’s disease have been well documented, but the mechanisms underlying the turn-on behavior are complex and poorly understood. Initial work suggests that OPE undergoes aggregation-induced emission on the protein. This work studies the mechanisms of restriction of internal motion, intramolecular charge transfer, and coherent exciton formation through combined experimental and computational methods. We conclude that the initial direction of aggregation-induced emission was misguided, and that OPE-protein interactions are better characterized as aggregation-caused quenching partially disabled by protein binding.
Bio: I am a sixth year PhD student, co-advised by Professors Eva Chi and Will Bricker. I have an undergraduate degree in chemistry from UNM. In 2020, I began my graduate research synthesizing OPEs for my project and have since moved to a combined experimental and computational study of these molecules. I’ve been awarded the Griffith Fellowship in 2022, founded and ran the CBE student journal club from 2023-2024, and was one of the winners of the ACS 2025 Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting poster awards.
August 26, 2026
Keynote Address: Lipid Nanoparticles for Overcoming Biological Barriers to RNA Delivery
Michael J. Mitchell, Ph.D., Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
4:00 p.m., Larrañaga Engineering Auditorium
Abstract: Recent years have witnessed tremendous developments and breakthroughs in the field of RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines. The distinct mechanisms of exogenous RNAs and analogs, including messenger RNAs, small interfering RNAs, microRNAs, and antisense oligonucleotides, have brought them unprecedented potential to treat a variety of pathological conditions. However, the widespread application of RNA therapeutics and vaccines is hampered by their intrinsic features (e.g., instability, large size, and dense negative charge) and formidable host barriers. Development of safe and efficient vectors is key for successful delivery and translation of RNA therapeutics and vaccines. In this talk, I will discuss our efforts towards the development of new lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that enable the delivery of RNA therapeutics and vaccines to target cells and tissues in vivo. Furthermore, I will describe new therapeutic strategies utilizing these LNPs for (i) mRNA delivery to solid tumors for cancer immunotherapy, (ii) in vivo reprogramming of immune cells for in situ CAR T cell engineering, (iii) targeting the placenta to treat deadly pregnancy disorders.
Bio: Michael J. Mitchell is the Hibbert Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems Group Leader at the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. He received a BE in Biomedical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in 2009, a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with Prof. Michael King from Cornell University in 2014. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Engineering with Prof. Robert Langer at MIT from 2014-2017, prior to pursuing his independent career at University of Pennsylvania in 2018. Mitchell is an internationally recognized expert in lipid nanoparticle technologies for the delivery of mRNA and other genetic medicines. His interdisciplinary research bridges biomaterials science, drug delivery and molecular engineering, with applications ranging from cancer immunotherapy and vaccines, genome editing, aging, cardiovascular disease, and fetal and maternal therapeutics.
Mitchell has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, including those in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Chemistry, Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Cancer and Nature Biomedical Engineering. He is an inventor on over 80 pending or awarded patents, and is a co-founder and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of numerous biotechnology companies focused on developing non-viral delivery technologies for genetic medicines. His work has earned numerous distinctions, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, Penn’s Emerging Inventor of the Year Award and Young Investigator Awards from the Society for Biomaterials and the Controlled Release Society. He has also been twice-designated a Clarivate World’s Top 0.1% Highly Cited Researcher, elected a Fellow of the Controlled Release Society, and received the Kabiller Rising Star Award.
August 19, 2026
Mandatory Safety Training
Fernando Garzon and Geoff Courtin, UNM
4:00 p.m., Larrañaga Engineering Auditorium