A/Professor Tuncay Alan
A/Professor Tuncay Alan
I lead the Dynamic Micro Devices Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, where I am also Director of Industry Engagement.
My group develops acoustically driven microsystems: devices that use sound waves and vibrating microstructures to mix, split and eject very small volumes of liquid with precise control. We study how these structures interact with the fluids around them, and use that understanding to build devices and methods for medicine, materials science and scientific instruments.
- Drug delivery. PALM, a hand-held inhaler that adjusts aerosol droplet size on demand and delivers proteins and delicate molecules without damaging them. Patented in Europe, the United States and Australia.
- Materials synthesis. Acoustic mixers and droplet reactors that homogenise liquids in milliseconds, used to make nanodrugs, protein nanoparticles and perovskite nanocrystals of controlled size.
- Time-resolved measurement. Devices that eject single droplets with timing accurate to within 80 microseconds, and microfluidic cells compatible with X-ray spectroscopy, for following reactions as they unfold.
- Diagnostics and sensing. Portable devices that lyse cells, separate plasma and detect bacteria in microlitre samples, and wearable sensors for physiological monitoring.
A current focus is bringing these capabilities together to observe and control fast chemical processes, such as how nanomaterials first form, as they happen.
I received my PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Cornell University in 2007 and was a postdoctoral researcher at Delft University of Technology and University College London before joining Monash. In 2023 I was Guest Professor at ETH Zürich and Senior Fellow at the Collegium Helveticum. In 2015 I was a Visiting Scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute’s Swiss Light Source.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, (BSc), Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara Turkey
- Ph.D, (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics), Cornell University, Ithaca NY USA
Expertise
- Droplets and aerosols on demand
Single droplets on demand with timing accurate to within microseconds, and aerosols with adjustable droplet size.
- Ultrafast microfluidic mixing
Homogenising liquids in milliseconds for controlled synthesis of nanoparticles, emulsions and nanocrystals.
- In situ and time-resolved measurements
Optical and X-ray measurement of reactions in flowing liquids and droplets, including sample delivery for synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers.
- Diagnostics and Sensing
Portable devices for sample preparation and pathogen detection, and wearable physiological sensors.
- Acoustofluidics
Using sound waves and vibrating microstructures to move, mix, separate and eject liquids.
Research Interests
My group’s work falls under four connected themes.
Droplets and aerosols on demand. We use acoustic actuation to produce individual droplets and aerosols with controlled size, timing and trajectory. Applications range from inhaled drug delivery and printing to sub-nanolitre dispensing and sample delivery for X-ray free-electron lasers, where our devices eject single droplets with timing accurate to better than 80 microseconds.
Ultrafast mixing and materials synthesis. Our acoustic micromixers homogenise liquids in milliseconds at high throughput. We use them to make nanodrugs, protein nanoparticles, emulsions and perovskite nanocrystals with controlled size and structure.
In situ and time-resolved measurement. We build microfluidic cells compatible with optical and X-ray spectroscopy, to follow chemical reactions, nucleation and growth as they happen.
Diagnostics and sensing. We develop portable devices that lyse cells, separate plasma and detect pathogens from small samples, as well as sensors for physiological and chemical signals.
Selected recent papers (full list available here)
Deng, H.; Jasieniak, J. J.; Alan, T. Precisely timed on-demand droplet ejection and collision in free space for controlled reaction initiation. Small 2026, 22, no. 53: e74957.
Mehlawat, N.; Tseng, C.-W.; Shenoda, A.; Kostoulias, X.; Sharma, K.; Nguyen, L.; Jasieniak, J.; Henry, R.; Wood, B. R.; Alan, T. Integrating acoustic microfluidics with spectroscopic analysis for efficient bacterial lysis and molecular characterisation. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 2025, 117851.
Deng, H.; Nguyen, L.; Shenoda, A.; Banerjee, P.; Mehlawat, N.; Cao, C.; Sharma, K.; Sharma, M.; Brenker, J.; Martino, M. M.; Jasieniak, J.; Alan, T. Tunable passive chaotic mixing in droplet microfluidics for controlled nanomaterial synthesis. Physics of Fluids 2025, 37 (8), 082055.
Le, N. H. A.; Brenker, J.; Shenoda, A.; Sheikh, Z.; Gum, J.; Ong, H. X.; Traini, D.; Alan, T. Oscillating high aspect ratio micro-channels can effectively atomize liquids into uniform aerosol droplets and dial their size on-demand. Lab on a Chip 2024, 24, 1676.
Sharma, K.; Deng, H.; Banerjee, P.; Peng, Z.; Gum, J.; Baldelli, A.; Jasieniak, J.; Meagher, L.; Martino, M. M.; Gundabala, V.; Alan, T. High precision acoustofluidic synthesis of stable, biocompatible water-in-water emulsions. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 2024, 111, 107120.
Mehlawat, N.; Chakkumpulakkal Puthan Veettil, T.; Sharpin, R.; Wood, B. R.; Alan, T. Ultrafast and ultrasensitive bacterial detection in biofluids: leveraging resazurin as a visible and fluorescent spectroscopic marker. Analytical Chemistry 2024, 96 (45), 18002-18010.
Brenker, J.; Henzler, K.; Borca, C. N.; Huthwelker, T.; Alan, T. X-ray compatible microfluidics for in situ studies of chemical state, transport and reaction of light elements in an aqueous environment using synchrotron radiation. Lab on a Chip 2022, 22, 1214.
Pourabed, A.; Younas, T.; Liu, C.; Shanbhag, B. K.; He, L.; Alan, T. High throughput acoustic microfluidic mixer controls self-assembly of protein nanoparticles with tuneable sizes. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2021, 585, 229-236.
Anaya, D. V.; Zhan, K.; Tao, L.; Lee, C.; Yuce, M. R.; Alan, T. Contactless tracking of humans using non-contact triboelectric sensing technology: enabling new assistive applications for the elderly and the visually impaired. Nano Energy 2021, 90, 106486.
Le, N. H. A.; Deng, H.; Devendran, C.; Akhtar, N.; Ma, X.; Pouton, C.; Chan, H.-K.; Neild, A.; Alan, T. Ultrafast star-shaped acoustic micromixer for high throughput nanoparticle synthesis. Lab on a Chip 2020, 20, 582.
Current funding
ARC Discovery Project DP260103767: Unravelling nucleation and early-stage growth of colloidal perovskites (2026–2029). J. Jasieniak, T. Alan, D. Schmidt.
Past funding (selected)
Australia’s Economic Accelerator: Personalised aerosol therapy — enabling inhaled administration of next-generation therapeutics (2024–2025)
ANFF-C Commercialisation Grant: PALM inhaler (2025–2026)
NHMRC Development Grant: Next-generation hand-held nebulisers for aerosol drug delivery (2021–2023)
Thermo Fisher Scientific: Sample delivery for trace element analysis (2022–2023)
Defence Science Institute Starshots: Wireless sensors for stand-off detection of chemical hazards (2021–2023)
Defence Innovation Hub, with BAE Systems: Low Observable Platform Detection (2018–2020)
Supervision
PHD
Mark Unger
Translational Development of a Non-Invasive Ultrasound Platform for Enhanced Vaccine and Drug Delivery
2026
Jinghao Lim
Tunable Acoustic Aerosol Platforms for Printing and Delivery of Biologics
2026
Yuchen Zhao
AI-Enhanced Droplet Microfluidics with In Situ Spectroscopy for Autonomous Materials Discovery
2026
Jackson Gum
Parametric Excitation and Stability in Acoustically Driven Microfluidic Systems
2026
Hazel Full
Engineering New Technologies for Respiratory Drug Delivery
2025
Ozge Erguder
Delivering Biologics via Personalised Aerosol Loading and Management (PALM) Device
2025
Xuan Le
Integration of Isothermal Amplification (IA) Assays into Microfluidic Components for Point-of-Care COVID-19 Testing
2021 to 2026
Hao Deng
Droplet Microfluidics for In Situ Study of Rapid Chemical Reactions
2021 to 2026
Neha Mehlawat
Towards Rapid Diagnostics: Integrating Microfluidics and Spectroscopy for Bacterial Detection
2021 to 2025
Abanoub Shenoda
Design and Development of an Ultrasonically Actuated Microfluidic Platform: Interplay of Fluid-Structure Interaction and Oscillating Microstructures for Controlled Droplet Generation and Personalized Aerosol Drug Delivery
2021 to 2025
Nenad Stanojevic
Super Coiled Polymers for Actuation and Sensing in Biomedical Applications
2022 to 2025
Balu Raveendran
Nanomaterial Enabled Palpation Device for Tissue Abnormality Detection
2021 to 2025
Kajal Sharma
Novel Microfluidic Based Techniques for the Generation of Soft Biomaterials
2019 to 2024
Hoai Nguyen An Le
Acoustofluidic Applications in the Synthesis and Delivery of Nanomedicine
2017 to 2023
Prasanna KamalPrakash Nair
Using SAW Devices to Explore Cell-Sorting and Biosensing for the Diagnosis of Blood Cell Pathologies in Point-of-Care Settings
2017 to 2022
Amir Pourabed
Ultrafast Acoustofluidic Mixers for Nanoparticle Assembly and Cell Lysis
2019 to 2022
Ganaka Chandrakumara
An Experimental Study of Electromechanical Actuation of Graphene and Reduced Graphene Oxide: Physical Mechanisms and Applications
2012 to 2017
Jason Brenker
Microfluidic Methods for In Situ Chemical Studies: On Demand Droplet Generation and X-ray Compatible Devices
2014 to 2018
Ninnuja Sivanantha
Novel Microfluidic Techniques to Evaluate Cell Adhesion Properties for Medical Applications
2015 to 2018
Muhsincan Sesen
Manipulation of Droplets and Plugs Using Surface Acoustic Waves
2012 to 2016
Citsabehsan Devendran
Microfluidic Batch Process Platforms for Lab on a Chip Applications Using Acoustofluidics
2013 to 2016
Mustafa Bulut Coskun
Novel Approaches for Microscale Sensing Using Silicon and Graphene Based Devices
2012 to 2015
David Collins
Manipulation in Microfluidic Systems Using Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW)
2012 to 2014
Masters
Jackson Gum
An Integrated Portable Platform for Effective Drug Delivery to the Respiratory System: Controlling Aerosol Size, Uniformity and Throughput On-demand
2021 to 2025
Teaching Commitments
- MEC3602 - Biomedical Microsystems
- MEC3455 - Solid Mechanics 2
- TRC4000 - Mechatronics Final Year Project 1.
- TRC4001 - Mechatronics Final Year Project 2.
- MEC4425 - Micro/nano solid and fluid mechanics.
- MEC5888 - Renewable Energy Systems
- MEC2403 - Mechanics of Materials
- MAE2401 - Aircraft Structures
PhD opportunities
We welcome enquiries from students with backgrounds in engineering and science to join the Dynamic Micro Devices Laboratory. Students in the group design and fabricate their own devices at the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication and work with collaborators in materials science, chemistry, pharmacy and medicine, as well as at X-ray facilities. The projects often combine device design, fluid mechanics, electronics and chemistry, and students learn from each other’s training.
Example projects
Droplets on demand for time-resolved science. Develop acoustic devices that eject and collide single droplets with microsecond timing, for use at X-ray free-electron lasers and in time-resolved cryogenic electron microscopy.
Watching materials form. Build ultrafast mixers and in situ spectroscopy tools to follow nucleation and growth of nanomaterials from the first milliseconds.
Precision aerosols for inhaled medicines. Design and characterise acoustically driven aerosol generators for delivering proteins and other biological drugs to the lung.
Our graduates have gone on to research positions at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, MIT, the National University of Singapore, the University of Melbourne, and to industry positions at large engineering companies as well as start-ups.
To apply, email me a CV, academic transcript and a short statement of your interests. Information on scholarships is available through Monash Engineering research scholarships.
Working with industry
We welcome interest from industry in contract research, joint projects and licensing of our patented technologies. Our expertise includes microfabrication, acoustic fluid handling, precision droplet and aerosol generation, and in situ spectroscopic measurement.
Past and current partners include large companies in scientific instrumentation and defence, such as Agilent, Thermo Fisher Scientific and BAE Systems, and start-ups in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, such as AbInitio Pharma, BacterioTrack and MuPharma. Projects range from early-stage feasibility studies and prototype development to co-funded research and industry PhD programs.
If you are interested in working with us, please contact tuncay.alan@monash.edu.