Faculty

Biography

Dr Ye Ai obtained his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) in 2005, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Old Dominion University (USA) in 2011. From 2005 to 2008, he worked as a research associate at Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (China). Prior to joining SUTD as an assistant professor in 2013, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and expanded his research in bioengineering at Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA). He was a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology from August 2014 to July 2015. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in September 2019. He serves as Editorial Board Member of Elsevier Organs-on-a-chip and Editorial Advisory Board Member of ACS Analytical Chemistry. Dr Ai’s professional expertise lies on Micro/nanofluidics, BioMEMS and Lab-on-a-chip. His research aims to develop low cost and field-deployable devices for various biomedical, energy and environmental applications.

Education Background

• PhD, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Old Dominion University, USA, 2011
• BS, Mechanical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, 2005

Research Interests and Objectives

Micro/nanofluidics refers to a set of technologies that can precisely control ions, fluids or particles confined in micron and nanometer scale channels. Due to similar length sales and fluid environments, BioMEMS or Lab-on-a-chip devices based on micro/nanofluidics technology are ideally suited to manipulate and analyze biological entities for various bioanalytical applications. This intrinsically multidisciplinary research field lies at the interface between engineering, micro/nanofabrication, material, chemistry and biology, which has great potential to revolutionize the study of complex biological systems and also leads to the development of novel biomedical devices.

A primary objective of Dr Ai’s research is to explore unique physical phenomena associated with fluid flows at small length scales and their interactions with structures, electrics, acoustics, optics and magnetics. Dr Ai’s long-term research goal aims to apply the understandings and discoveries to develop novel micro/nanofluidics technologies and BioMEMS or Lab-on-a-chip devices with applications in biomedical analysis, healthcare, bioenergy and environmental monitoring. Dr Ai’s research group is also striving to translate their innovative micro/nanofluidics technologies to commercial market through collaborations with industry.

Key Publications

Book and Book Chapter

1. Liang M.H., Zhong J.W., and Ai Y., Biosensors for Single-cell Mechanical Characterization. In Biosensors for Single-Cell Analysis, Elsevier Academic Press, 2022. Link
2. Qian S. and Ai Y., Electrokinetic Particle Transport in Micro/Nanofluidics: Direct Numerical Simulation Analysis, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN: 9781439854389, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 2012.
3. Ai Y. and Qian S., Field Effect Control of Ion, Fluid, and Particle Transport in Micro/Nanofluidics. In Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science, CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, New York, USA, 2012.

Selected Journal Publications After Joining SUTD
Full List of Publication

1. Sui M.Y., Dong H.J., Mu G.Y., Yang Z., Ai Y., and Zhao J., Acoustofluidic tweezers integrated with droplet sensing enable multifunctional closed-loop droplet manipulation, Advanced Science, 2024, 2409394. Link
2. Chang Y.F., Zhong J.W., Kassim A.K., Koo S.H., Tan T.Y., Zhou Y.N., and Ai Y., Comprehensive evaluation of clinical antimicrobial resistance using impedance-accelerated single-bacterium multiplex screening strategy, Sensors & Actuators B: Chemical, 2025, 423: 136764. Link
3. Liang M.H., Liang L., Tayebi M., Zhong J.W., and Ai Y., Lab-in-fiber optofluidic device for droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) with real-time monitoring, ACS Sensors, 2024, 9: 5275-5283. Link
4. Zhong J.W., Chang Y.F., Liang M.H., Zhou Y.N., and Ai Y., Phosphorylation-amplified synchronized droplet microfluidics sensitizes bacterial growth kinetic real-time monitoring, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2024, 259: 116397. Link
5. Liu Y., Cui X., Lu R., Yang D.H., Ai Y., and Cheow L.F., Digital sort-enabled counting allows absolute electrical quantification of target nucleic acid, ACS Sensors, 2024, 9: 2695–2702. Link
6. Liang L., Liang M.H., Zuo Z.W., and Ai Y., Label-free single-cell analysis in microdroplets using a light-scattering-based optofluidic chip, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, 2024, 253: 116148. Link
7. Liang M.H., Zhong J.W., Choo S.S., Agrawal R., and Ai Y., Intelligent image-based deformability assessment of red blood cells via dynamic shape classification, Sensors & Actuators B: Chemical, 2024: 135056. Link
8. Chen J.H., Zhong J.W., Chang Y.F., Zhou Y.N., Koo S.H., Tan T.Y., Lei H.T., and Ai Y., Rapid and accurate antimicrobial susceptibility testing using label-free electrical impedance-based microfluidic platform, Small, 2024, 2303352. Link
9. Zhong J.W., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., DUPLETS: Deformability-assisted dual-particle encapsulation via electrically activated sorting, Small Methods, 2023, 2300089. Link
10. Chen J.H., Zhong J.W., Lei H.T., and Ai Y., Label-free multidimensional bacterial characterization with ultrawide detectable concentration by microfluidic impedance cytometry, Lab on a chip, 2023, 23: 5029-5038. Link
11. Zhong J.W., Liang M.H., Tang Q., and Ai Y., Selectable encapsulated cell quantity in droplets via label-free electrical screening and impedance-activated sorting, Materials Today Bio, 2023: 100594. Link
12. Liang M.H., Tang Q., Zhong J.W., and Ai Y., Machine learning empowered multi-stress level electromechanical phenotyping for high-dimensional single cell analysis, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2023, 225: 115086. Link
13. Liang, L., Hu X.J., Shi Y., Zhao S.K., Hu Q.H., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Tunable and dynamic optofluidic microlens arrays based on droplets, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94 (43): 14938-14946. Link
14. Liang M.H., Zhong J.W., and Ai Y., A systematic study of size correlation and Young’s modulus sensitivity for cellular mechanical phenotyping by microfluidic approaches, Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2022, 11: 2200628. Link
15. Lu X.G. and Ai Y., An automatic microfluidic cell wash platform for purifying cells in suspension: Puriogen, Analytical Chemistry, 2022, 94(26): 9424–9433. Link (Featured on the cover page)
16. Zhong J.W., Tang Q., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Accurate profiling of blood components in microliter with position-insensitive coplanar electrodes-based cytometry, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2022, 367:  132068. Link
17. Zhong J.W., Li P.X., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Label-free cell viability assay and enrichment of cryopreserved cells using microfluidic cytometry and on-demand sorting, Advanced Materials Technologies, 2022, 7: 2100906. Link
18. Tayebi M., Yang D.H., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., Deterministic sorting of submicron particles and extracellular vesicles using a combined electric and acoustic field, Nano Letters, 2021, 21(16): 6835–6842. Link
19. Zhong J.W., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Submicron-precision particle characterization in microfluidic impedance cytometry with double differential electrodes, Lab on a Chip, 2021, 21: 2869-2880 (Featured on the cover page). Link
20. Li P.X., Zhong J.W., Liu N., Lu X.G., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Physical properties-based microparticle sorting at submicron resolution using a tunable acoustofluidic device, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2021, 344: 130203. Link
21. Lu X.G., Chow J.M., Koo S.H., Jiang B.R., Tan T.Y., Yang D.H., and Ai Y., Sheathless and high-throughput elasto-inertial bacterial sorting for enhancing molecular diagnosis of bloodstream infection, Lab on a Chip, 2021, 21: 2163-2177 (Featured on the cover page). Link
22. Lu X.G, Tayebi M., and Ai Y., A low-cost and high-throughput benchtop cell sorter for isolating white blood cells from whole blood, Electrophoresis, 2021, accepted. Link
23. Liang M.H., Yang D.H., Zhou Y.N., Li P.X., Zhong J.W., and Ai Y., Single cell stretching in viscoelastic fluids with electronically triggered imaging for cellular mechanical phenotyping, Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 93(10): 4567–4575. Link
24. Li P.X. and Ai Y., Label-free multivariate biophysical phenotyping-activated acoustic sorting at the single-cell level, Analytical Chemistry, 2021, 93(8): 4108–4117. Link
25. Zhong J.W., Yang D.H., Zhou Y.N., Liang M.H., and Ai Y., Multi-frequency single cell electrical impedance measurement for label-free cell viability analysis, Analyst, 2021, 146(6): 1781-2084 (Featured on the cover page). Link
26. Lu X.G., Chow J.M., Koo S.H., Tan T.Y., Jiang B.R., and Ai Y., Enhanced molecular diagnosis of bloodstream Candida infection with size-based inertial sorting at submicron resolution, Analytical Chemistry, 2020, 92: 15579–15586. Link
27. Zhou Y.N., Ma Z.C., and Ai Y., Submicron particle concentration and patterning with ultra-low frequency acoustic vibration, Analytical Chemistry, 2020, 92: 12795-12800. (Featured on the cover page) Link
28. Ma Z.C., Zhou Y.N., Cai F.Y., Meng L., Zheng H.R., and Ai Y., Ultrasonic microstreaming for complex-trajectory transport and rotation of single particles and cells, Lab on a Chip, 2020, 20(16): 2947-2953. Link
29. Xu C.P., Ai Y., Zheng T.F., and Wang C.H., Acoustic manipulation of breathing MOFs particles for self-folding polymer film preparation, Sensors and Actuators: A. Physical, 2020, 315: 112288. Link
30. Tayebi M., Zhou Y.N., Tripathi P., Chandramohanadas R., and Ai Y., Exosome purification and analysis using a facile microfluidic hydrodynamic trapping device, Analytical Chemistry, 2020, 92(15): 10733-10742. Link
31. Devendran C., Choi K.Y., Han J., Ai Y., Neild A., Collins D., Diffraction-based acoustic manipulation in microchannels enables continuous particle and bacteria focusing, Lab on a Chip, 2020, 20(15): 2674-2688. Link
32. Zhou Y.N., Wang H., Ma Z.C., Yang J.K.W. and Ai Y., Acoustic vibration-induced actuation of multiple micro-rotors in microfluidics, Advanced Materials Technologies, 2020, 2000323. Link
33. Raymond S., Collins D.J., O’Rorke R., Taybi M., Ai Y., and Williams J., A deep learning approach for designed diffraction-based acoustic patterning in microchannels, Scientific Reports, 2020, 10: 8745. Link
34. O’Rorke R., Winkler A., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., Slowness curve surface acoustic wave transducers for optimized acoustic streaming, RSC Advances, 2020, 10: 11582 – 1158. Link
35. Taybi M., O’Rorke R., Wong H.C., Low H.Y., Han J., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., Massively multiplexed sub-micron particle patterning in acoustically driven oscillating nanocavities, Small, 2020: 2000462. (Featured on the cover page and in Phys.org; EurekAlert Science News; Nano Werk; SUTD News) Link
36. Zhou Y.N., Ma Z.C., and Ai Y., Dynamically tunable elasto-inertial particle focusing and sorting in microfluidics, Lab on a Chip, 2020, 20: 568-581. Link
37. Li P.X., Liang M.H., Lu X.G., Chow J.M., Ramachandra C.J.A., and Ai Y., Sheathless acoustic fluorescence activated cell sorting (aFACS) with high cell viability, Analytical Chemistry, 2019, 91(24): 15425-15435. (Featured in Phys.org; EurekAlert Science News; Bioengineer; SUTD News). Link
38. Collins D.J., O’Rorke R., Neild A., Han J., and Ai Y., Acoustic fields and microfluidic patterning around embedded micro-structures subject to surface acoustic waves, Soft Matter, 2019, 15(43): 8691-8705. (Featured on the cover page) Link
39. Zhou Y.N., Ma Z.C., and Ai Y., Hybrid microfluidic sorting of rare cells based on high throughput inertial focusing and high accuracy acoustic manipulation, RSC Advances, 2019, 9: 31186-31195. Link
40. Yang D.H. and Ai Y., Microfluidic impedance cytometry with N-shaped electrodes for lateral position measurement of single cells/particles, Lab on a Chip, 2019, 19: 3609-3617. (This article is part of the themed collection: Lab on a Chip Emerging Investigators, Lab Chip Blog, also featured on the cover page and in Phys.org; EurekAlert Science News; SciTechDaily; Bioengineer; SUTD News) Link
41. Taybi M., Tavakkoli Yaraki M., Yang H.Y., and Ai Y., A MoS2-MWCNT based fluorometric nanosensor for exosome detection and quantification, Nanoscale Advances, 2019, 1: 2866-2872. (Featured on the cover page) Link
42. Li P.X., Ma Z.C., Zhou Y.N., Collins D.J., Wang Z.F., and Ai Y., Detachable acoustophoretic system for fluorescence activated sorting at the single-droplet level, Analytical Chemistry, 2019, 91(15): 9970-9977. (Featured on the cover page and SUTD News) Link
43. Zhou Y.N., Ma Z.C., Tayebi M., and Ai Y., Submicron particle focusing and exosome sorting by wavy microchannel structures within viscoelastic fluids, Analytical Chemistry, 2019, 91(7): 4577-4584. Link
44. Yang D.H., Zhou Y., Zhou Y.N., Han J., and Ai Y., Biophysical phenotyping of single cells using a differential multiconstriction microfluidic device with self-aligned 3D electrodes, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2019, 133: 16-23. Link
45. O’Rorke R., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., A rapid and meshless analytical model of acoustofluidic pressure fields for waveguide design, Biomicrofluidics, 2018, 12: 024104. Link
46. Zhou Y.N., Ma Z.C., and Ai Y., Sheathless inertial cell focusing and sorting with serial reverse wavy channel structures, Microsystems & Nanoengineering, 2018, 4: 5. Link (Featured in Science Daily; EurekAlert Science News; Phys.org)
47. Collins D.J., O’Rorke R., Devendran C., Ma Z.C., Neild A., Han J., and Ai Y., Self-aligned acoustofluidic particle focusing and patterning in microfluidic channels from channel based acoustic waveguides, Physical Review Letters, 2018, 120(7): 074502.Link (Highlighted by the editors as an Editors’ Suggestion and Featured in Physics)
48. Zhou Y., Yang D.H., Zhou Y.N., Khoo B.L., Han J., and Ai Y., Characterizing deformability and electrical impedance of cancer cells in a microfluidic device, Analytical Chemistry, 2018, 90: 912-919. Link
49. Ma Z.C., Zhou Y.N., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., Fluorescence activated cell sorting via a focused traveling surface acoustic beam, Lab on a Chip, 2017, 17: 3176-3185. Link (Featured in Science Daily; EurekAlert Science News; Phys.org; Medgadget;  Asian Scientist Magazine)
50. Yang D.H., Subramanian G., Duan J.M., Gao S.B., Bai L., Chandramohanadas R., and Ai Y., A portable image-based cytometer for rapid malaria detection and quantification, PLOS One, 2017, 12(6): e0179161. Link (Featured in The Straits Times)
51. Kishor R., Ma Z.C., Sreejith S., Seah Y.P., Wang H.Y., Ai Y., Wang Z.F., Lim T.T., and Zheng Y.J., Real time size-dependent particle segregation and detection in a surface acoustic wave-photoacoustic integrated microfluidic system, Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2017, 252: 568-576. Link
52. Collins D.J., Khoo B.L., Ma Z.C., Winkler A., Weser R., Schmidt H., Han J.Y., and Ai Y., Selective particle and cell capture in a continuous flow using micro-vortex acoustic streaming, Lab on a Chip, 2017, 17: 1769-1777. Link
53. Devendran C., Collins D.J., Ai Y., and Neild A., Huygens-Fresnel acoustic self-interaction and the development of robust time-averaged patterns from travelling surface acoustic waves, Physical Review Letters, 2017, 118: 154501. Link
54. Chen F.M., Ai Y., and Yang H.Y., Boron detection and quantification based on the absorption spectra of pyridoxine and its boron complex, Environmental Chemistry, 2017, 14: 135-140. Link
55. Xi H.D., Zheng H., Guo W., Ganan-Calvo A.M., Ai Y., Tsao C.W., Zhou J., Li W.H., Huang Y.Y., Nguyen N.T., and Tan S.H., Active droplet sorting in microfluidics: a review, Lab on a Chip, 2017, 17: 751-771. Link
56. Ma Z.C., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., Single-actuator bandpass microparticle filtration via traveling surface acoustic waves, Colloids and Interface Science Communications, 2017, 16: 6-9. Link
57. Collins D.J., Ma Z.C., Han J.Y., and Ai Y., Continuous micro-vortex-based nanoparticle manipulation via focused surface acoustic waves, Lab on a Chip, 2017, 17: 91–103. (Featured as the front cover article) Link
58. Ma Z.C., Collins D.J., Guo J.H., and Ai Y., Mechanical properties based particle separation via traveling surface acoustic wave, Analytical Chemistry, 2016, 88 (23): 11844–11851. Link
59. Ma Z.C., Teo A.J.T., Tan S.H., Ai Y., and Nguyen N.T., Self-aligned interdigitated transducers for acoustofluidics, Micromachines, 2016, 7: 216. (Featured as the front cover article) Link
60. Yang D.H., Taybi M., Huang Y.X., Yang H.Y., and Ai Y., A microfluidic DNA sensor based on three dimensional (3D) hierarchical MoS2/carbon nanotube nanocomposites, Sensors, 2016, 16: 1911. Link
61. Ng J.A., Collins D.J., Devendran C., Ai Y. and Neild A., Flow-rate insensitive deterministic particle sorting using a combination of travelling and standing surface acoustic waves, Microfluidics and Nanofluidics, 2016, 20: 151. Link
62. Collins D.J., Devendran C., Ma Z.C., Ng J.A., Neild A., and Ai Y., Acoustic tweezers via sub time-of-flight regime surface acoustic waves, Science Advances, 2016, 2: e1600089. Link
63. Fakhfouri A., Devendran C., Collins D.J., Ai Y. and Neild A., Virtual membrane for filtration of particles using surface acoustic waves (SAW), Lab on a Chip, 2016, 16: 3515-3523. Link
64. Collins D.J., Ma Z.C., and Ai Y., Highly localized acoustic streaming and size-selective sub-micron particle concentration using high frequency microscale focused acoustic fields, Analytical Chemistry, 2016, 88: 5513–5522. Link
65. Ma Z.C., Collins D.J., and Ai Y., A detachable acoustofluidic system for particle separation via a travelling surface acoustic wave, Analytical Chemistry, 2016, 88: 5316–5323. Link
66. Collins D.J., Neild A., and Ai Y., Highly focused high-frequency travelling surface acoustic waves (SAW) for rapid single-particle sorting, Lab on a Chip, 2016, 16: 471-479. (Featured as the front cover article) Link
67. Huang Y.X., Guo J.H., Kang Y.J., Ai Y., and Li C.M., Preparation of two dimensional atomically thin MoS2 nanosheets and their sensing applications, Nanoscale, 2015, 7: 19358-19376. Link
    
68. Collins D.J., Neild A., deMello A., Liu A.Q., and Ai Y., The Poisson distribution and beyond: methods for microfluidic droplet production and single cell encapsulation, Lab on a Chip, 2015, 15: 3439-3459. Link
69. Guo J.H., Kang Y.J.,and Ai Y., Radiation dominated acoustophoresis driven by surface acoustic waves, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2015, 455(1): 203-211. Link
70. Ma Z.C., Guo J.H., Liu Y.J., and Ai Y., The patterning mechanism of carbon nanotubes using surface acoustic waves: the acoustic radiation effect or the dielectrophoretic effect, Nanoscale, 2015, 7: 14047-14054. Link
71. Guo J.H., Huang X.W., and Ai Y., On-demand lensless single cell imaging activated by differential resistive pulse sensing, Analytical Chemistry, 2015, 87: 6516-6519. Link
72. Huang Y.X., Yang H.Y., and Ai Y., DNA single-base mismatch study using graphene oxide nanosheets based fluorometric biosensor, Analytical Chemistry, 2015, 87 (18): 9132–9136. Link
73. Guo J.H., Liu X.H., Kang K., Ai Y., Wang Z.M., and Kang Y.J., A compact optofluidic cytometer for detection and enumeration of tumor cells, Journal of Lightwave Technology, 2015, 33(16): 3433-3438. Link
74. Huang Y.X., Shi Y.M., Yang H.Y., and Ai Y., A novel single-layered MoS2 nanosheets based microfluidic biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of DNA, Nanoscale, 2015, 7: 2245-2249. Link
75. Guo J.H., Chen L., Ai Y., Chen Y.B., Li C.M., Kang Y.J., and Wang Z.M., Numerical and experimental characterization of solid-state micropore-based cytometer for detection and enumeration of biological cells, Electrophoresis, 2015, 36(5): 737-743. Link
76. Puttaswamy S.V., Xue P., Kang Y.J., and Ai Y., Simple and low cost integration of highly conductive three-dimensional electrodes in microfluidic devices, Biomedical Microdevices, 2015, 17: 4. Link
77. Ai Y., Zeng Z.P., and Qian S., Direct numerical simulation of AC dielectrophoretic particle-particle interactive motions, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2014, 417: 72−79. (Featured as the front cover article) Link
78. Ai Y., Sanders C.K., and Marrone B.L., Separation of E. coli bacteria from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using standing surface acoustic waves, Analytical Chemistry, 2013, 85(19): 9126−9134. Link