PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series: Crosswalk between Engineering, Biology and Medicine
PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series
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Date
23 Apr 2024
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
10:30 - 12:00
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Venue
Lecture Theatre GH201, Wing GH, Podium Floor, PolyU
Speaker
Prof. CUI Zhanfeng
Enquiry
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research +852 3400 3036 info.pair@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Prof. CUI Zhanfeng, Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Oxford and Founding Director of Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research, delivered the 18th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Crosswalk between Engineering, Biology and Medicine” on 23 April 2024. The lecture attracted about 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online viewing audience of over 11,200 from different countries and regions to watch the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, Weibo, Bilibili, etc.
The lecture commenced with a welcome speech and speaker introduction by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, followed by a presentation by Prof. Cui. He first shared his scientific journey by reminiscing about the old days when he moved abroad to develop an academic career after graduating in China and gradually became a highly successful scientist. Next, he explained the importance of interdisciplinary research and shared how the combination of medical science and engineering enables the development of health technologies such as imaging, keyhole surgery, in vitro diagnostics, in vitro fertilisation, etc. Prof. Cui emphasised that scientists are to “discover” and find out “how a thing happens” whereas engineers are to “create” and “make things happen”. He then gave some advice on how to do well in interdisciplinary research and shared some innovations in microbioreactor and point-of-care testing developed by him and his team which has achieved great success in research commercialisation and made significant contributions to drug discovery and public health. To conclude, Prof. Cui shared that scientific success is based on many factors, including team, facilities, timing, luck, etc., and encouraged the next generation of engineers and scientists to consider a career in biomedical engineering, an exciting and rewarding domain.
Following the lecture, a lively and insightful question-and-answer session was moderated by Ir Prof. ZHANG Ming, Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Chair Professor of Biomechanics. The audience had fruitful discussions with Prof. Cui.
Please click here for an online review.
Photo Gallery
Professor CUI Zhanfeng of Oxford University delivers PAIR Distinguished Lecture on “Crosswalk between Engineering, Biology and Medicine”
Professor CUI Zhanfeng
Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Engineering Science
Founding Director of Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR)
University of Oxford, UK
Professor CUI Zhanfeng is the Donald Pollock Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Oxford since the Chair was established in 2000. He is the Founding Director of the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR), the only Oxford University Centre outside the UK in Physical Sciences and Engineering. He was educated in China, and awarded BSc (1982), from Inner Mongolia Polytechnic University, MSc (1984) and PhD (1987) from Dalian University of Technology. After a postdoc in Strathclyde University (1988-1991), he became a Lecturer of Chemical Engineering in Edinburgh University in 1991, moved to Oxford in 1994 as a University Lecturer in Engineering Science and Tutorial Fellow of Keble College. He became a Reader in Engineering Science in 1999. He was elected to the first Chemical Engineering Chair at the University of Oxford in 2000 and a Professorial Fellow of Hertford College. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE, 2003) and a Fellow of American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE, 2014). In 2009, he was awarded a Higher Doctorate, Doctor of Science (DSc), by the University of Oxford, to recognize his excellence in academic scholarship. He was elected to a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2013, a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2021, and a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), 2023.
Professor CUI is known for his work on membrane technology and bioprocessing. He has focused on the interface between Chemical Engineering and Life Sciences and Medicine. His current research interests focus on the development of enabling technologies for regenerative medicine (bioreactors, three-dimensional culture, cryopreservation and scale-up), and applications to treat cancers, diabetes, neural degeneration and musculoskeletal conditions. He is also active in developing in vitro diagnostic technologies for point of care testing, in particular, of cancers and infectious diseases.
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