Juan G. Santiago

Juan G. Santiago an American academic. He is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University and the Director of the Stanford Microfluidics Laboratory. He has played a significant role in co-founding several companies specializing in the field of microfluidics. Because of his accomplishments, he has earned distinctions as a Fellow in organizations such as the American Physical Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He is the author of over 220 publications and is an inventor on 60 different patents.

Early life

Santiago, born in Chicago, Illinois, is the son of two Cuban Immigrants. While working several strenuous jobs to provide for their family, Santiago's parents still managed to raise a passionate, successful son. Santiago started working various jobs from a young age in order to provide for himself. Knowing he wanted to achieve vast successes, Santiago continued to apply himself in all that he did. At age thirteen, Santiago became the captain of his high-school wrestling team while taking on other various forms of martial arts such as boxing, jiu-jitsu, and karate. After climbing up the ranks, Santiago earned a paying job as an instructor in martial arts. Santiago proved to himself that he would amount to great things. Later on he worked as a tutor, delivery driver, karate instructor, and box loader for UPS to pay for his college education.

Education

Santiago originally started his undergraduate career at Florida International University (FIU), where he later transferred to the University of Florida, Mechanical Engineering in 1990 to earn his Bachelor of Science. Following the University of Florida, he attended masters school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mechanical Engineering, where in 1992 he obtained his Master of Science. To complete his academic excellence, he pursued his PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Mechanical Engineering in 1995.

Career

Santiago first started his journey while writing as a faculty member in 1988 at the Stanford Microfluidics Lab. His research there involved liquid pumping, mixing, the manipulation of molecules and cells, and the precise identification of specific DNA or RNA using electro kinetic devices, which harness electrical fields. Some breakthroughs from their lab include a microfluidic device was developed capable of detecting the RNA of the COVID-19 virus within just 30 minutes through a nasal swab. His team also created systems designed to purify brackish water by removing salt and other contaminants, in order to make it safe for drinking.

In 2022, Santiago was elected as the Charles Lee Powell Foundation Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. He is also Vice Chair for the Mechanical Engineering Department. His research is now focused on various areas, including the creation of microsystems for on-chip biochemical analysis, the development of two-phase flow devices, and the implementation of capacitive deionization techniques. These innovations find applications in diverse fields such as molecular diagnostics, cellular analysis, electronics cooling, and clean drinking water, as mentioned earlier.

Santiago is a member of multiple American engineering organizations. These organizations include the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineering.

Awards

Santiago has been given many awards over the years. Specifically, he was given the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Designs for biomedical devices and new pharmaceuticals were discovered because of Santiago's work in conducting research in fluid dynamics and electrokinetics at the microscopic scale. Santiago hopes to reach high school students interested in science and engineering that come from underrepresented groups. Because of that, he is combining his work into instructional material for graduate and undergraduate teaching.