Research Seminars @ Illinois

Abstract

Cutting-edge biological and medical research demands tools that can seamlessly interface with living systems across cell cultures, tissues, and whole organs. Yet a central challenge remains: how to build biointerfaces that can truly match the complex three-dimensional geometries of biology while integrating multiple functional materials with precise spatial control. In this talk, I will introduce a new class of mechanics-driven manufacturing strategies that address this challenge. Distinct from conventional top-down and bottom-up approaches, these methods use precisely programmed deformation and machine learning-embedded inverse design to transform materials or integrated structures into target geometries and dimensions tailored for specific applications. The first part of the talk focuses on our development of complex 3D mesostructures as neural interfaces for organoids. Through mechanics-guided 3D assembly and inverse design, we create closed, conformal 3D bioelectronic systems that wrap around organoids and, for the first time, provide nearly complete surface accessibility to neuronal populations. These devices support high-resolution recording and stimulation through hundreds of independently addressable channels and enable 3D spatial reconstruction of electrophysiological activity. These capabilities allow monitoring of 3D network-level neural activity, supporting organoid studies through localized stimulation, circuit manipulation, and the development of disease-relevant phenotypes. The broad material compatibility and expansive design space of this mechanics-driven approach further enable multifunctional 3D interfaces and integration with complex assembloid systems. In the second part of the talk, I will present new nanofabrication approaches for creating large-scale, aligned 3D nanostructured surfaces that match cellular and subcellular length scales. A nanomolding process based on controlled compressive deformation of bulk materials induces nanoscale mass transport, enabling the formation of well-defined nanostructures across a wide range of materials. Together, these advances establish a new paradigm for manufacturing 3D, multi-material, and multiscale biointerfaces that can truly engage with the geometry of living systems, opening transformative opportunities in organoid science, neural engineering, artificial intelligence, and beyond.

 About the Speaker

Naijia Liu is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University, under the supervision of Prof. John A. Rogers. He received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Jan Schroers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Yale University in 2022, and his BS degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Peking University in 2016. His research focuses on mechanics-driven approaches for innovative 3D multiscale structures and devices, leveraging a combination of multidisciplinary strategies of mechanics, structural design, materials science, electronics, micro/nanofabrication, and biomedical engineering to address the key demands in human health.

Host: Professor Sam Tawfick